Verstappen provokes other drivers to outrun him at Red Bull Racing

Sixth place at the Monaco GP displeased Max Verstappen and the Dutchman for the first time in 2024 did not obtain the pole, starting in the same place where he finished the race. Far behind the leaders, the three-time F1 world champion said it wasn't his fault and challenged drivers to run faster than him behind the wheel of his car.

Making mistakes is an infrequent habit for Max Verstappen on the Formula 1 tracks and, in recent years, the driver has been able to win several titles. The rivalry, however, grew this year with a greater number of victories for different drivers. In the first eight grands prix there were more than in the entire 2023 season. In addition to the three-time Dutch champion, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc also climbed to the top of the podium.

A successful trajectory

Until the Monte Carlo GP, Verstappen He achieved eight consecutive top positions and equaled Ayrton Senna's record, which had stood since 1989. In the final stage, Charles Leclerc broke the Dutch driver's streak and forced him to finish in sixth place. When questioned by SkySports Italy if this could be cited as his first mistake of the season, the Red Bull driver said no.

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_{Max Verstappen and his RBR at the Monaco GP/May2024 (Photo: reproduction/Emmanuele Ciancaglini/GettyImagesEmbed)}

The explanation

The functionality of a difficult-to-drive car can be analyzed by the results of Max Verstappen's partner's evaluation of the overall score. Sergio Pérez had problems and was only 18th in the Monte Carlo GP. During this race, the Mexican was hit by Kevin Magnussen, from the Haasand his car was destroyed at the start.

“It's been different problems. We probably didn't get the balance right in Miami and maybe also with the tires. At Imola, I think we managed to turn it around, we rode really well, but because of all the problems, we probably weren't at our best on the hard tire. But overall, the performance was excellent.” — declared the pilot.

Verstappen, today the championship leader, also encountered difficulties in other races. In addition to losing in Miami, he was almost overtaken by Lando Norris at the Imola GP.

F1 returns in a week with the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season.

Featured photo: Max Verstappen walks next to the pits, before the Monaco GP (Reproduction/Kym Illman/GettyImages)