Max Verstappen was downbeat after seeing his Belgian Grand Prix end after just eight laps after an engine-related issue saw him stop halfway down the Kemmel Straight.
The Dutchman, who was supported by thousands of fans at Spa-Francorchamps due to the close nature of the track to his homeland, was running fifth before his problem, with his retirement meaning he has failed to see the chequered flag in half of the races he has started in 2017.
The Red Bull Racing driver is now looking to regroup ahead of next weekends Italian Grand Prix, but he is seeking answers from his team to why there has been so many reliability concerns this season with his Renault-powered, Tag Heuer-badged RB13.
“I am extremely disappointed not just because of my retirement but for the fans also,” said Verstappen. “They pay a lot of money to come and watch the race, I then retire after only eight laps so it must be frustrating for them.
“We have had a good weekend up until today, we have worked really hard and qualifying went very well so I was optimistic for the race. Out of the last corner I shifted from third to fourth and straight away lost power, it went into some sort of safe mode.
“It has been a very tough year so far and we need to get on top of these problems which we will discuss as a team again. Obviously I am not a happy person so I’m looking forward to getting home. I will go away and regroup and come back with a positive attitude next week.”