Max Verstappen exposes reason for crash at Baku

Max Verstappen has been subjected to a lot of criticism this season, with the label of the ‘crash kid’ looming large.

He was hoping that the Azerbaijan GP could help him redeem himself and while it may still do, it hasn’t provided him with the ideal start.

Verstappen managed to crash in FP1 at Baku today and immediately there were concerns about the reliability of that Red Bull package.

The Dutch driver has revealed that the the issue after FP2 was a faulty sensor

“We thought we had an issue, but they found out it was a faulty sensor, so nothing to worry about. All good.” Verstappen said.

Talking about the FP1 crash, Verstappen admitted that it was his fault

“It was a bit more windy, but I don’t know, I lost the rear, spun, of course hit the wall.

“It was a shame. It was a bit slippery at the start. I couldn’t catch the car and hit the wall.

“You just have to feel your way into the track because it was very dusty and slippery, as I found out.

“Luckily it didn’t affect us too much in the second practice, so I’m quite happy.

“The mechanics did a great job to repair the car, and in second practice we did most of the programme.” he added.

Apart from the crash, Red Bull had a fabulous time in free practice today, as Ricciardo was fastest in FP2 with Verstappen slotting into the third spot.

Verstappen is confident about Red Bull’s chances this weekend as he feels the car is as quick as Ferrari and Mercedes’.

“We look quick,” he said.

“Of course you want to improve, and we know that in qualifying they have this power mode, so they will be even closer.

“But on the other hand, we still have a bit as well, and this track is a lot about confidence, so if you really feel good in the car, you can get a bit of lap time as well.

“On short runs I’m still fine-tuning a bit what I lost in first practice but in the long runs I think we were very competitive.” he concluded.