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MELBOURNE, Australia — An angry Max Verstappen was an early exit from the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver sustaining a fiery mechanical failure on the fourth lap of the race and experiencing his first race retirement since Albert Park in 2022. Minutes after his retirement, he was seen on TV coverage of the race in a heated discussion with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Verstappen had won the first two F1 races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and was on a nine-race winning streak. The three-time F1 world champion began the race from pole, but was passed by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz on lap two at turn nine. Verstappen kept on the Spaniard's tail, but just two laps later was spewing smoke from the back of his car. Sainz won the race.
