Max Verstappen concedes P5 in Monaco GP qualifying as Red Bull struggles with low-speed grip; Lewis Hamilton risks post-session penalty.
Verstappen reflected on his qualifying session in Monaco, where he finished in fifth place, without being surprised by the result.
He highlighted the weaknesses of his Red Bull RB21 compared to Ferrari and McLaren.
“Especially the middle sector. All the low-speed corners requiring mechanical grip—we didn’t have any.”
“I wasn’t able to find more lap time than I did in free practice. Every time I had to ride a kerb or lean a wheel into a corner, the grip just wasn’t there.”
“As soon as we entered qualifying and I saw the improvement in lap times, I knew we weren’t in the fight for pole.”
“So no real surprise, then. I know our car isn’t very strong at low speeds. This year, qualifying has always been very tight between many cars.”
“If you’re lacking feeling or balance in those corners, it just doesn’t work.”
Verstappen could potentially start fourth if Hamilton, who qualified ahead of him, receives a penalty for impeding him early in the session.
“In the moment, you see a car blocking you and at high speed, it’s not pleasant. I saw the team telling him I was going slow, when clearly I was going fast, so it’s not Lewis’s fault.”
“I quickly spoke with Lewis about it. It’s very straightforward, but it shouldn’t happen. It’s the team’s fault.”
Does he think Hamilton will receive a penalty?
“If you look at the history, yes. But it’s more the team’s fault. Normally, in qualifying, they are quite strict about this.”
Yuki Tsunoda was angry at his team over the radio in Q2.
“I know what happened and I have nothing more to say. It was unfair to me. We’ll try to score points with the mandatory pit stops. But honestly, I’m not happy today.”
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