Red Bull took the front row as its goal, and finished third in Monaco. Max Verstappen made a mistake at the crucial moment, but was mostly upset by the poor performance and limitations of their car.
Up front, Helmut Marko and Charles Leclerc gave the Red Bull driver no chance of beating the time trial in Monaco, but the battle for pole was tougher than Ferrari's dominance in free practice would suggest. Not only was Leclerc under pressure from McLaren, but it looked like Max Verstappen might also have something to gain among the best, based on Q1's Q1. The Dutchman led from the second practice session for the second time, just 13 thousandths of a second ahead of Lando Norris.
Verstappen was not happy with his car, as he complained at turns five and ten. On his first lap of the final, he finished third behind Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, but spoiled his already decisive final attempt in the first corner due to understeer and sliding slightly into the wall. “I went into the wall. Man! This car is so slippery.” – complained the three-time champion, who then completed his lap with just a stroke.
Verstappen's unbeaten streak in qualifying was thus broken: he was defeated after nine qualifying rounds. On Sunday, he will start the race from grid six next to George Russell.
He added: “I'm not disappointed with the result, but with our performance all weekend. I'm not saying I didn't know that beforehand, because I know the limits of our car, but it was bad.”
He said no Sky SportsFor Verstappen.
During the third free training, a radio broadcast was heard during which he said to his engineer: “I know where I can buy time, but it's impossible. We know why…” After the qualifying session, Verstappen actually revealed the 'why'.
“I couldn't even use a wheelbarrow. In the middle sector I avoid the wheel throwers. Honestly, it's like you're driving a small car with no suspension or suspension. Very difficult.”
“I felt quite comfortable in the car in the high-speed corners. At least it was fun. On the other hand, we lose a lot in the slow stuff. Of course, you can win in a few places, but we lose a lot in the slow corners, which is heartbreaking, because the car jumps.” Just”. It is to explain.
Verstappen was fastest in the first sector on Saturday, ahead of Leclerc by 0.131 seconds, but in the middle he left him behind by 0.250 seconds. The Ferrari cars proved 0.178 seconds better in the final stage.
According to advisor Helmut Marko, Verstappen's mistake was due to his attempt to compensate for losses in the middle section at the beginning of the track. “Yes, the second sector was our weak point, and we were usually quickest in the first. You had to make time there. Sometimes things go wrong in Monte Carlo. – said the Austrian ORFto.
Max Verstappen (Photo: XPB)Team boss Christian Horner subtly hinted at this because Verstappen could have achieved more than sixth place, even with the problematic car.
“We struggled all weekend, our car is not suitable for this track. But until the last lap… I am not saying that we could have beaten Charles, but we could have finished between second and sixth. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get to the round Last”.
Verstappen described their situation a little differently. When asked about his chances on Sunday, he said: “Our car is not the fastest car. It doesn't mean we qualified ourselves out of position. We don't have a speed advantage that we can take advantage of.”
Regarding the competition specifically, he said: “As for tomorrow, if the race is flat, there's not much you can do. The cars are too wide and too big, you can't pass them. I'm just trying to stay above them. We'll see what happens, we can't do too much.”
The champion also warned Red Bull: They cannot pretend that the Monaco circuit is unusual, because a weak point in their car could hurt them even later. “Yes, it's definitely track-specific, but there will be a few tracks where it's bumpy and you have to use the tire inflators. That's definitely our weak point.”
