Red Bull reveal cause of double Bahrain GP retirement – and say they don’t expect a repeat in Saudi Arabia

Red Bull were looking set to start the 2022 season with a P2 and a P4 at the Bahrain Grand Prix, until both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez suffered retirements with just a handful of laps to go – with the team revealing the cause ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Having sparred with the Ferrari of eventual winner Charles Leclerc for much of the season-opening race in Sakhir, with just three laps left to run, Verstappen was forced to pull up in the Red Bull pits and retire – while two laps later team mate Perez spun at Turn 1, having suffered the same issue.

READ MORE: ‘Brutal’ double Red Bull retirement ‘extremely painful’ says Verstappen, as team reveal cause of Bahrain issues

And Red Bull confirmed the precise cause ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, a spokesperson from the team revealing: “Both cars suffered from a lack of fuel pressure last weekend. The correct amount of fuel was in both cars, but a vacuum prevented the pumps from drawing fuel and delivering it to the engine.

“We’ve taken the necessary steps to correct this issue and we expect no problems this weekend.”

That wasn’t the only issue that Verstappen faced last Sunday, however, with heavy steering affecting his ability to attack Leclerc in the race’s latter stages – Team Principal Christian Horner telling the media after the Bahrain Grand Prix: “The steering issue [on Max’s car] was when the car got dropped on the final stop. We think it tweaked a track rod, so that’s why it was slightly different left to right.”

With Red Bull yet to get off the mark in the constructors’ standings in 2022, the team will be looking to hit back at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.