The moment came as Verstappen pitted during his charge through the field in Melbourne. The Red Bull driver was fighting his way through the midfield after starting twentieth following his qualifying crash.

As he braked for the pit lane entry, Verstappen suddenly had to slam on the brakes when Lindblad slowed right in front of him.

Verstappen immediately hit back over the radio to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: “That is brake-checking?” the four-time world champion said irritably as he approached his pit box.

Lambiase later asked him to clarify what he had said, prompting Verstappen to vent his frustration more bluntly. “That f**k just brake-checked the whole pit lane,” he replied, sounding considerably more heated. The incident ultimately had no consequences for Lindblad.

The flashpoint came during a race in which Verstappen fought his way through the field after a difficult weekend. The Dutchman had started from twentieth following his qualifying crash, but despite battling issues including tyre degradation and battery management, he managed to climb back to sixth place. Even so, he was far from upbeat after the race.

Mercedes, meanwhile, dominated proceedings in Melbourne, while Red Bull were largely left to focus on damage limitation. Teammate Isack Hadjar, who had started third, was forced to retire with engine trouble. As a result, Verstappen’s sixth place ultimately represented the maximum the Austrian team could achieve in the season-opening race.