Unseen footage shows F1 fans cheering Max Verstappen retirement at Australian Grand Prix after car fire

Footage has emerged of Formula One fans cheering the retirement of Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix after his car caught fire.

Max Verstappen had a shot at creating history on Sunday as he aimed to match his record of 10 grand prix victories in a row.

However, the Red Bull star completed just three laps of the track in Melbourne before the brakes on his vehicle caught fire and forced him out of the contest.

Carlos Sainz Jr ended up winning the race with teammate Charles Leclerc coming second to complete a Ferrari one-two.

Verstappen has dominated F1 in recent times, with the Belgian-Dutch driver winning a remarkable 19 of the last 21 grands prix.

That perhaps explains why fans present at the event were pleased that a different face would be taking top spot on the podium.

That was to be expected, but what was surprising was cheers that went up among the crowds upon the announcement of Verstappen's retirement, despite that fact that he was in a dangerous situation.

Footage has emerged on X of thousands of fans in the stands cheering and shouting as the news was confirmed over the tannoy.

crowd reaction to max car DNF pic.twitter.com/oTxngIJPr9

— sumi 🌶️ (@99thcent) March 24, 2024

After the race Verstappen told Sky Sports that "the temperature [of the brake] it just kept increasing, it was like driving with the handbrake on," and that the car was "weird to drive on some corners."

Verstappen was visibly frustrated after he exited his car in the pits, and shared a tense exchange with a team mechanic.

Red Bull secured one-two finished in the opening two races of the 2024 season, with Sergio Perez coming second to Verstappen at both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were also unable to finish the race, with the former involved a dramatic final lap crash.

Verstappen will hope Red Bull can resolve the issue with his car ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday April 7.