Max Verstappen says he endured a boring Monaco Grand Prix, describing his afternoon as one that “wasn’t really about racing” due to the race's circumstances and tyre strategies.
The was nothing gained, and nothing lost for the championship leader over the course of the race’s 78 laps, with the top-ten drivers crossing the checkered flag in the same positions in which they started.
The early red flag triggered by Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen’s crash on lap 1 had a significant impact on the proceedings. It allowed all remaining drivers to pit for fresh tyres without losing track position, essentially neutralizing any initial strategic advantages.
While Verstappen gambled on a second pitstop change to counter Lewis Hamilton's undercut attempt, it ultimately yielded minimal benefit.
The Dutchman eventually caught up once again with George Russell but still couldn't find a way past the Mercedes driver, even with a clear tyre advantage.
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“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,” Verstappen explained.
“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.”
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Verstappen acknowledged that his frustrations are part of Monaco’s challenges, admitting that only wholesale changes to the street circuit’s layout would help deliver better on-track action.
“First I would like to try to, if there are possibilities, change a few things,” he said. “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.”
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