Verstappen Laments 'Annoying' Drain Caps Problem Amid 'Budget Cap' Difficulties

Saturday, 24 February 2024 at 08:36

Max Verstappen was not happy about the loose drain caps, which caused problems at the F1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Last year in Las Vegas, manhole covers created problems for drivers when Carlos Sainz drove over one loose manhole cover, completely damaging his car.

During the pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, a similar thing happened, but this time around, it was Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc who was the victim of a loose drain cap.

Less than 24 hours later, the same thing happened to Sergio Perez, and it immediately became clear that the issue needed to be addressed. His teammate in Red Bull, who was the fastest man on Day 1, spoke about the problem.

According to Verstappen, the problem of the drain caps may not be visible immediately, as Formula One cars often drive at places where other cars usually don't go on track, increasing the risk of discovering something undiscovered.

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"With the ground effect cars, probably it's a little bit worse. But also, it seems like we're driving, you know, in places that not a lot of other cars are going. But, yes, for sure, maybe these kind of things can be checked a bit more. You know, we know that this is a potential problem with these cars."

At the same time, the three-time World Champion would like the organizers to double-check the track, making sure that nothing may damage their cars.

Verstappen reminded that teams are currently operating under strict budget caps, and any unexpected expense can certainly hurt any of the teams on the grid.

"And when you go to certain tracks, you know where the drain covers are. So, I guess, before you start driving in the weekend, to double check that everything is solid, I think, is a must for the upcoming tracks."

"That we don't have another situation where cars get destroyed. And, you know, especially with budget cap in place as well, it's not nice when these things happen."