Red Bull Probes ERS Issue After Fire Halts Max Verstappen’s Friday at Canadian GP

Red Bull is looking into an ERS malfunction on Max Verstappen’s vehicle that came up during the second practice session, causing his day to end early due to a fire.

Red Bull is looking into an issue with the energy recovery system (ERS) that caused Max Verstappen’s Friday session to end early at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Championship frontrunner Verstappen managed only four laps in the second practice session at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve before his RB20 caught fire, compelling him to head back to the pits.

Smoke billowed from the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull as he drove into the pitlane. The Dutch driver quickly exited the vehicle, and tape was put around the car, preventing his team from approaching it, indicating a potential electrical problem.

Once it was confirmed that the car was safe to handle, Red Bull's mechanics quickly focused on repairing the back end of Verstappen's vehicle.

Red Bull announced that the problem was related to the ERS, which caused Verstappen to be unable to continue participating in the session and lose approximately 30 minutes of track time.

On Friday morning, Verstappen's Red Bull was equipped with a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), turbocharger, Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), and Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K) in preparation

"Regrettably, I didn't complete many laps in the second practice session due to a suspected electrical problem. The team asked me to return to the pits, and they are currently looking into it. I haven't returned to the garage yet, but I'm confident we'll identify the issue soon," Verstappen stated.

"It's not perfect; I wanted to complete more laps. Others had more time on the track in dry conditions and now more time in the wet. This isn't how I hoped FP2 would go."

"I believe it's crucial to understand what really occurred and how it might affect the upcoming weekend or the rest of the year."

Heading into this weekend's race, the three-time world champion holds a 31-point advantage over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings.

In the previous race in Monaco, Verstappen only managed to secure a sixth-place finish due to Red Bull experiencing issues with ride height. The team expects to face comparable difficulties with the high curbs at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

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