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Max Verstappen accused Red Bull’s newest hiring of “brake checking” him in the pit lane during the Australian Grand Prix.
Arvid Lindblad, who made his Formula 1 debut for Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls today, led Verstappen into the pits on lap 19 during the second Virtual Safety Car period. The pair were running fifth and sixth respectively at the time.
Verstappen was already close to the back of Lindblad’s car as they arrived in the pit lane together, passing Valtteri Bottas’s stranded Cadillac which caused the VSC period. Lindblad appeared to hold Verstappen up as the track straightened out, then again after they slowed for the pit lane speed limit line at the entrance.
“Fucking brake checking!” Verstappen exclaimed on his radio.
“Repeat that, Max,” his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase responded. “Got fucking brake-checked the whole pit lane,” Verstappen repeated. “Copy that, thank you,” said Lambiase.
The stewards did not note or investigate any incident between the two drivers. Lindblad remained in front of Verstappen when they rejoined the track, but Verstappen passed him on the lap after the race restarted.
Lindblad appeared to take extra caution on his way into the pit lane where he experienced a near-miss with team mate Liam Lawson the day before. Lawson was moving slowly because Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of him was driving in with a car problem.
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As Lindblad approached the pits his race engineer Pierre Hamelin warned him to check the pit lane entrance was still open and to beware of yellow flags. “Make sure the pit lane is open, box, box,” said Hamelin. “Focus on procedures. Yellow turn 14, yellow in the pit entry.”
Hamelin did not give Lindblad any instructions regarding Verstappen behind him. After the pair made their pit stops, race control temporarily closed the pit lane entrance so Bottas’s car could be recovered.
Lindblad went on to finish the race in eighth place, scoring points on his debut. “I had a lot of fun,” he said afterwards. “I think there’s a few things from the race today that I could have managed slightly better, but in general it’s been it’s been really positive.
“I’m very happy with the weekend. I think have almost got the maximum out of the car in every session.”
“I was P3 or something on lap one, which is pretty nuts,” he added. “I definitely showed people that if there’s an opportunity and stuff, I’m going to get stuck in and I’m not going to hang about.”
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2026 Australian Grand Prix
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