Helmut Marko feels Max Verstappen could have won the F1 Australian GP if not for the brake failure

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Max Verstappen could have won the Australian GP had it not been for his brake failure in the initial laps of the race.

The Dutch driver retired from the Australian GP for the first time in two years, which coincidentally last happened at the same race in 2022. The three-time world champion, going for his 10th win in a row, encountered brake problems early in the race which resulted in complete failure.

Verstappen retired from the Australian GP and failed to win a race for the first time since Singapore last year.

Speaking with Motorsport Japan, the Red Bull advisor said he believes that Max Verstappen could have won the race if he had not had brake failure. He said:

"I spoke to Max and he said that even though he had problems with braking from the beginning, he was able to keep up with Sainz Jr.'s pace relatively easily. If Max had been able to race, the result would have been completely different. I think it would have become something like that.”

As per F1.com, the 26-year-old expressed his 'disappointment' over the result and added that the car felt 'good' heading to the grid. He said:

"It’s a shame as the car felt really good in the laps to the grid, but you cannot control these issues and these things happen. Of course, I am disappointed we didn’t finish the race as we had a good shot at winning and the car has been improving throughout the weekend."

Max Verstappen chimes in on the Japanese GP after brake failure in Melbourne

Max Verstappen stated that it was unfortunate that he had a brake failure in Melbourne but he had a positive outlook on the weekend.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Red Bull driver is looking forward to getting back on track in Suzuka. He said:

"We knew a day like that could come at some point so we need to be proud that we have had a great run with nine races in a row and we can come back stronger for Suzuka.”

Max Verstappen faced similar circumstances last time he raced in Japan in 2023 as he had come off an unusual weekend in Singapore which ended his 10-race win streak.

He recovered in Suzuka to win the race by a margin of almost 20 seconds from Lando Norris. The Dutchman would hope for something identical in a couple of weeks as F1 heads to Japan on April 7.