Verstappen and the bird stuck in the brakes at the Canadian GP – Corriere.it

Only an external factor could have slowed down Max Verstappen’s race for victory and records, but obviously much more is needed for a Red Bull like this. The talented reigning champion, who has just equaled a legend like Ayrton Senna and his record of 41 GPs won at the age of just 25, ran nearly the entire Montreal race with a bird carcass in the brakes. Due to the high speed, the animal was hit full-on by the driver on exiting turn 4, on lap 11, not too long after the start of the Grand Prix.

An impact so strong, due to the speed of the RB19, that the bird could never have survived. The accident was clarified by the single-seater’s on-board camera, which captured images of a small dark spot clearly visible on the red and white stripes of the track curb. However, the bird’s carcass remained stuck in the Red Bull’s brake duct for all 70 laps completed, and was found by the mechanics who examined the single-seater at the end of the race. The video frame taken by the camera at the time of the accident and the remains of the bird extracted from the car at the end of the GP immediately went around the web.

Considering the result of the race, the accident didn’t compromise Verstappen’s performance in the slightest. However, the current world champion immediately noticed the impact on the front right wing and communicated it via radio to his wall: “Boys, I think I hit a bird full-on.” The unusual episode could have represented a limitation or a risk for the driver, but that was not the case and Verstappen was able to win another precious victory (the sixth of the season and the fourth in a row) to mortgage the 2023 Formula 1 world championship as soon as possible .

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also spoke about what happened on the track. «That was a delicate moment – ​​he explained – because we feared it could cause some damage to the car. It certainly had an influence, but Max was very good at leading the race in perfect control anyway, without ever being put under particular pressure». Verstappen himself at the end of the race was still surprised by what had happened. “I immediately noticed the animal’s remains as I got out of the car. The bird was still there and it didn’t look good – he had told Sky’s microphones – I’m so sorry, even for the mechanic who had to recover it».

The next stage of the World Championship will be the Austrian Red Bull Ring of Spielberg bei Knittelfeld, in Styria, on July 2nd, where Verstappen’s RB19 will race at home. To interrupt his domination, his rivals have now understood that they cannot count even on external and unpredictable episodes such as the impact with a bird.