F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Jos Verstappen 'very disappointed' with Red Bull strategy in Monaco

A very disappointed Jos Verstappen says Red Bull did little to bring his son to the front of the race in Monaco, having opted for a strategy that was "completely in favour" of race winner Sergio Perez.

After the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had dominated the first stage of the race, Red Bull opted to pit Perez early on lap 16 for a switch from the wet tyres to the intermediates, while Verstappen was brought in two laps later.

When all was said and done, the call, combined with the Scuderia's ill-timed stops, placed Perez at the head of the field in front of Sainz, with Verstappen in third place ahead of Leclerc.

Jos Verstappen reckons that Red Bull should have been more aggressive with the championship leader regarding its pit stop strategy.

"As a father I was also disappointed with the race," the former F1 driver told the official Verstappen website. "Max’s third place was very disappointing.

"We all saw that it was a difficult weekend for him. It starts with the car, which simply doesn’t have the characteristics for his driving style yet.

"Max has far too little grip front end grip. And especially in Monaco, with all its tight corners, you need a car that turns very quickly. That was just hard."

Although the Milton Keynes-based outfit achieved a great result overall, Verstappen Sr said the team did little to help his son secure a better result.

"Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time exerted little influence on helping Max to the front. That he finished third, he owes to Ferrari’s mistake at that second stop of Charles.

"The championship leader, Max, was not helped in that sense by the chosen strategy. It turned completely in Checo’s favour.

"That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader."

Verstappen argued that Red Bull knew the benefit of switching early to the inters after monitoring the pace of AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly who bolted on a set of intermediates after just two laps.

"Pérez actually won the race because of the earlier pit stop," added Max's father. "The team can perhaps explain that as a gamble, but they had already seen, with for example Gasly, that the intermediates were the best option at that time.

"I would have liked them to go for Max, but of course I am not entirely objective.

"I think 10 points for Max were thrown away. Especially with the two retirements we had [in Bahrain and in Melbourne], we need every point.

"Don’t forget that Ferrari currently has a better car, especially in qualifying."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton continues on top in second practice

Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the timesheets for the second time in Las…

11 mins ago

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas,…

14 mins ago

Leclerc confident Ferrari ‘has a shot’ at F1 Constructors’ title

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari has a genuine “shot” at beating rival McLaren to Formula…

1 hour ago

Komatsu: F1 teams united against Audi 2026 cost-cap offset

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed that nine Formula 1 teams stand in opposition…

2 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton leads Mercedes 1-2 in trouble-free FP1

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell led the field in a chilly but trouble-free first practice…

4 hours ago

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the United…

4 hours ago