Charles Leclerc fulfilled his childhood dream and won the Monaco Grand Prix on home soil. The Ferrari driver won from start to finish in a test that had an impact on the first lap of the competition after the accident involving Kevin Magnussen, Checo Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg that ended with all three cars destroyed and a red flag.
Beyond the victory of the Monegasque, his sixth in the history of the highest category of motorsports, what caught the attention of Formula 1 fans was the complicated weekend that Max Verstappen and the Red Bulls had. To the abandonment of the Mexican after the strong collision with his colleague from the Haas team, we must add that the Dutchman was unable to advance and finished in 6th place, the same as at the start.
During part of the competition, the current world champion had radio contact with his team in which he left a controversial phrase about the mythical street layout. “This is boring, I should have brought my pillow.”, Max was heard saying in dialogue with his race mechanic. The sixth place in which the driver from the Netherlands finished the Grand Prix in the Principality It was his worst result in more than a season if we don’t count his abandonment in Australia at the beginning of the year.
During last season, Verstappen was 5th in Singapore, the only time he did not get on the podium. In 2022, the Dutchman took the checkered flag in sixth position in Sao Paulo and accumulated two other competitions outside the top three places – he was 7th in Singapore and Silverstone.
Once he got out of his RB20, the Red Bull driver spoke to the media and referred to his race strategy in which he entered the pits twice to change his tires. “After the red flag, our strategy was ruined, as we had to put the middle to the end, as everyone had a free stop, and that meant we had to save a lot,” Verstappen explained.
“I just tried to follow George (5th) and we were very off the pace trying to manage the tires. “That’s, of course, pretty boring out there, driving literally at half throttle on the straights in places, one gear higher than you would normally do and four seconds off the pace, so that’s not really a race,” he said. and opened the debate on whether the Monaco circuit should not undergo some changes to make it faster in future editions.
“First I would like to try, if there are possibilities, to change some things because it will make the emotion even better”analyzed Max after the race.
“Overall the weekend is great, only Sunday is a bit boring unfortunately, but the scenery is still great. If we can find a way to run a little better, why not? That would be my preferred solution.”, he added to his idea of generating changes in the Monte Carlo route, which has a length of 3.33 kilometers and 19 curves.
When asked if he would like there to be changes to the circuit, his answer was affirmative and then he gave his reasons. “Because at the moment it cannot be advanced. If they ask my opinion, I will try to see what is possible, but it also depends on what roads are going to be taken.”he concluded.
After the triumph of Leclerc, who was accompanied by Oscar Piastri with his McLaren (2nd) and Carlos Sainz with the other Ferrari (3rd), Verstappen remains at the forefront of the competition with 169 points, but the Monegasque closed the gap and now it is at 31 units (138). Red Bull is alert to the progress of the two teams that have already won in 2024.
The season will continue in two weeks in North America; On Sunday, June 9, the Canadian Grand Prix will take place at the Autódromo Gilles Villeneuve on the island of Notre-Dame, in Montreal. He will then return to Europe to continue his journey in the Old World with the competition in Barcelona, Spain.
