The monotonous nature of the races in Monaco and the early red flag that was caused by a collision between Checo Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen led to most drivers having to settle for their starting positions, including everyone in the top 10.
Max Verstappen settled for sixth position after a challenging weekend for both Red Bull drivers, making it the first time he missed a podium finish all year.
The Red Bull team had been struggling with their RB20 since the Miami Grand Prix, particularly over the bumps and kerbs.
Verstappen’s strategy of starting the race on hard tyres and switching to mediums after the red flag further complicated his race, as he had to try and carefully manage his tyres to the end.
Although he had a lot of pace after pitting to counter Lewis Hamilton’s undercut attempt, he couldn’t overtake George Russell and remained in sixth place.
“After the red flag our strategy was ruined as we had to put the medium on to the end as everyone had a free stop, and that meant that we had to save a lot.
“I just tried to follow George and we were so off the pace trying to manage the tyres. That is of course quite boring out there, driving literally half-throttle on the straights in some places, a gear higher than you would normally do and four seconds off the pace, so that is not really racing.”
Joking around with Russell in the media pen, he said: “I think George and I […] we’re gonna go for a run now because we didn’t really have any exercise. My god, that was terrible, so boring.”
They hilariously bantered around on possible alternatives to add excitement to the race. “Mandatory pitstops, like five or something, refuelling, mandatory nap, one lap on foot.”
The Monaco Grand Prix is highly criticised for its pedestrian races regarding pace and having no opportunities to overtake. The Dutch driver wants to see track changes for starters.
“First I would like to try to, if there are possibilities, change a few things, because it’ll make the excitement even better.
“Overall the weekend is really cool, just the Sunday is a little bit boring unfortunately, but the scenery is still great. If we can find a way to race a bit better, why not? That would be my preferred solution.
“Yes [to layout changes], because you cannot pass at the moment. If they ask for my opinion [on changes] I will try to see what is possible, but it also depends what roads you are going to take.”
Verstappen mphasizes his confidence that Red Bull’s comparatively bad performance in Monaco will be only a “blip”.
“We know that some tracks just really don’t suit our car at the moment.
“Some tracks that are still upcoming won’t really be that good for us, but then also some tracks will be better for us.
“We know… I think the positive thing out of this weekend is that it really highlighted our weakness, and that’s what we have to work on.”
