Earlier in June, Max Verstappen encountered an engine issue with his Red Bull RB20 during the Canadian Grand Prix.
As his FP2 running went up in smoke due to an ERS fault, Helmut Marko has allayed Max Verstappen’s “rest of the year” concerns as the Dutchman was running an “old” power unit.
After completing only four laps in Friday’s second practice session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Verstappen was forced to return to the Red Bull garage as his RB20 started emitting smoke.
Helmut Marko: This is not a new engine, but an old one
The team verified that his running had been abruptly ended due to an “ERS fault” before Verstappen informed the media: “There seemed to be an electrical problem, so they instructed me to return to the pits, and they are currently investigating it.”
“I must admit, the current situation is less than perfect. I had hoped to have the opportunity to complete more laps. Unfortunately, a few individuals were able to gain more experience in both dry and wet conditions.”
“I certainly didn’t expect to start FP2 this way, but I believe it’s crucial to understand the exact reasons behind it and determine its potential impact on the upcoming weekend or the entire year.”
But while Red Bull don’t yet know the exact cause of the failure, Marko told Motorsport.com he does not expect any major consequences towards Verstappen’s season as he was running an old engine.
“The engine issue lies within,” stated the motorsport advisor. “To pinpoint the exact cause, we must remove the engine from the vehicle, but it undoubtedly originates from the electrical aspect.”
This engine is not new; rather, it is old.
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Due to Verstappen’s difficulties in FP2, the Dutchman had to skip the session that had more favorable conditions following the almost-cancelled FP1.
Marko expressed his annoyance, stating that the initial session was mostly wet and inconclusive. He expressed hope for the final practice to be dry in order to achieve a favorable outcome.
“It is still important to avoid excessive pain if we have at least one dry rehearsal.”
Regardless, we still possess data from Checo, giving me assurance that we will discover a resolution.
Red Bull’s suspension problems came to light after their drivers faced difficulties maneuvering over the kerbs in Montreal.
Although Verstappen has said it will take “time” to find a permanent solution, Marko believes things will be better in Canada.
“We have identified certain issues after Monaco and are optimistic about implementing a new set-up for this race weekend. Max achieved impressive purple sector times in sector 2 during his time on the track, which is a promising sign,” he remarked.
“I don’t believe it is solely due to the genetic makeup of our car. It is rather a culmination of various factors. Currently, it appears to be an improvement compared to Monte Carlo.”
For quite some time now, we have been facing the issue of correlation, particularly on street circuits. Our engineers are currently dedicatedly addressing this problem, although it’s important to understand that resolving such matters cannot be accomplished within a mere week.
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