Monaco Grand Prix – Red Bull and Verstappen lash out against Leclerc’s red flag

The start of the weekend did not begin in the best way for Red Bull, with a lukewarm Thursday despite Perez’s first position during Free Practice 1. However, the Austrian team bounced back on Saturday, with Max Verstappen setting the fastest time in FP3 on Saturday.

Author of the second Q3 session, the Dutch driver set the fastest time in the first sector during his second attempt, which he was forced to abandon due to the red flag caused by Charles Leclerc!

“It was unfortunate with the red flag because I felt really comfortable in qualifying,” Verstappen told Sky Sports after the session.

I think that no one really aimed for a fast time on the first lap, and that’s how we planned it, do two laps and then the third lap which is the fastest.

Everything was going very well, but of course, the red flag ruined the pole position chances. Nevertheless, I think that so far, it’s a very good weekend. We recovered well after Thursday, so it’s not too bad. It’s easy to have a red flag here, but you don’t expect it, so you always plan the best strategy possible.

Max Verstappen: the red flag ruined my pole chances

Despite the collective frustration of the Red Bull team, the director of the Austrian team, Christian Horner, is looking at the situation as a whole since the rival Lewis Hamilton will only start from seventh place after a quiet qualifying session.

« Max had a two and a half tenths lead at the moment he had to retire, that’s why we are so frustrated. But, starting from the first line here and our main rival in seventh position, it’s not a bad afternoon.

Christian Horner hailed Ferrari’s lightning-fast comeback, looking forward to facing the prancing horse team for victory on Sunday. Moreover, he is delighted to see new players emerging at the top of the pack, widening the gap between his driver and Lewis Hamilton.

« They have been super fast all weekend, they haven’t shown this kind of pace since the beginning of the year, but I think it’s healthy, it’s good to see Ferrari back in the spotlight. It’s good to have more cars in the mix, in the end, having more cars between us and Lewis at the moment is also a positive thing. »

Christian Horner: « Max had a two and a half tenths lead at the moment he had to retire »