F1 star Max Verstappen's car spews black smoke, catches fire in bad day at Australian Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen had a tough outing at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in the third Formula One race of the 2024 season.

After winning the first two races and sitting on the pole for the Melbourne event, Verstappen was in trouble right from the jump. He had Carlos Sainz on his tail and couldn’t hold him off as he slipped in one turn. Then, his Red Bull Racing vehicle started to smoke.

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, right, talks with a teammate after retiring from the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Verstappen began to lose power and was forced to retire from the race in one of the shocking events of the season. As he came into the pits, the back of his car exploded and spewed black smoke briefly. His pit crew came in to extinguish the flames and his day was over quickly.

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"My right rear brake basically stuck on from when the lights went off," he said afterward. "The temperatures (in the car) just kept on increasing until the point that it caught fire. They (mechanics) could see what was going on, but they don’t know what caused it.

"We had a lot of good races in a row, I knew that the day would come when you end up having a retirement and, unfortunately, that day was today."

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen gets out of his car as it is enveloped in smoke at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour,Pool)

Verstappen won 19 races last