Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Max Verstappen’s "nice weekend" ends with a "painful" Monaco retirement
The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver excelled in qualifying as he started Sunday’s race on the front row, but an early issue meant his race came to an early end.
Max Verstappen conceded that retiring from the Monaco Grand Prix after just one lap was “even more painful” as there was great potential for a positive result. Having secured a first podium of the season two weeks ago in Canada, the four-time world champion was hopeful he could “do something” in Monte Carlo after an exceptional performance in qualifying.
The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver produced a brilliant flying lap late on in Q3 to secure second place on the grid and was seeking to win the race for a third time, having triumphed on the iconic street track in 2021 and 2023.
However, the Dutch driver failed to get off the line at lights out and subsequently was forced to bring his car into the pits at the end of the first lap.
Verstappen's race lasted just a single lap
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
“After such a nice weekend for us, you’d at least hope to be on the podium,” he said after his early exit from the race. “We, of course, then retired basically straight away. It’s painful for everyone. There’s also no need to be super upset because I think everyone is already really disappointed about it.
“It’s just a shame for everyone as everything was going really well up to that point. We felt great in the car all weekend and to come out with no points and to finish the race like this when you do everything so well is disappointing. To come away with zero points is even more painful.”
Positives from the weekend
Verstappen had impressed during qualifying after making the front row
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Despite the early exit, Verstappen showed in practice and qualifying that he is getting to grips with the Red Bull Racing RB22 as he showed plenty of pace on Friday and Saturday in Monaco.
By the end of Friday’s practice sessions he placed third on the timesheets, just 0.168 seconds off FP2 pace-setter Lewis Hamilton, while on Saturday he was just 0.043s behind pole sitter and world championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
“When you get a clean lap and can go flat out on the limit, it feels great and very rewarding,” he noted after qualifying. “I'm very happy with how all the laps went.”
Sunday’s race also proved to be a success for Verstappen’s young team-mate Isack Hadjar who held his nerve amidst several race stoppages to finish third - his first Formula One podium since joining Red Bull Racing at the start of the season.
