Max Verstappen has made a stunning revelation about the technical issue that prevented him from securing victory at the Australian Grand Prix, allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris to claim the win.

For the first time in 1,030 days, Verstappen has lost his lead in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. The Dutchman, who had been at the top of the standings since May 2022, was forced to settle for second place in Melbourne as Norris took his first career lead in the championship.

Following the race, Verstappen opened up about the struggles he faced during the race, particularly regarding his Red Bull car’s performance. “We had a fundamental issue with tyre overheating, which completely ruined our pace. McLaren just took off, and there was nothing I could do,” he admitted.

The reigning world champion also acknowledged that Red Bull needs to address this problem quickly if they want to stay competitive against McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes in the title race. “We have a lot of work to do. Right now, McLaren has the edge, but we’re going to push hard to close the gap,” Verstappen stated.

Despite the setback, Verstappen remained positive, emphasizing that securing second place was still a strong result. “It’s 18 points more than I had here last year when I had to retire. So, while it’s not ideal, it’s still a solid start to the season,” he concluded.

With the championship battle now wide open, all eyes will be on Red Bull to see how they respond to McLaren’s strong start when the F1 season continues at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.