In a spectacular showcase of his talent, Max Verstappen, the current World Champion, achieved a resounding triumph at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. This extraordinary victory not only solidified his position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship but also dealt a blow to his teammate Sergio Perez, who had a disappointing afternoon.
Verstappen’s triumph was the culmination of a weekend filled with exceptional performances, arguably his finest to date. The pivotal moment that set the stage for his victory was his mesmerizing lap during the Q3 session on Saturday.
During that intense qualifying session, the two-time World Champion displayed his mastery by finding an impressive three-tenths of a second in the final sector. This extraordinary feat allowed him to edge out Fernando Alonso and claim pole position, with the Spaniard settling for second place behind the Dutchman in the race on Sunday.
The sensational triumph of Verstappen is bound to have filled his father, the esteemed former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, with pure delight. After experiencing frustration with Red Bull following last season’s race at the Circuit de Monaco, this remarkable victory by his son surely brought a wave of joy and satisfaction, mending any previous discontent.
Jos Verstappen, feeling let down by Red Bull, expressed his disappointment in their failure to support his son’s efforts in overcoming Perez, the celebrated victor from a year ago.
“Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time exerted little influence to help Max to the front,” Jos wrote in his column on his son’s website.
“That he finished third, he owes to Ferrari’s mistake at that second stop of Charles Leclerc.
“The championship leader, Max, was not helped in that sense by the chosen strategy. It turned completely to Checo’s favour [Perez].
“That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader. I would have liked them to go for Max, but of course I am not entirely objective. I think 10 points from Max have been thrown away here.”
With Perez finishing in P16 on Sunday, the happiness of Verstappen’s father is bound to soar, knowing that even if the 25-year-old were to miss a race, he would still retain his championship lead.
Furthermore, Verstappen’s victory marked his 39th triumph for Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 wins for the renowned team based in Milton Keynes. This accomplishment solidifies Verstappen’s remarkable legacy within the Red Bull racing family.
As mentioned, a lot of the Dutchman’s win came thanks to his incredible lap in Q3 on Saturday, where he “gave it everything”.
“We knew this was going to be little bit of a struggle for us this weekend to get everything together, in qualifying you need to go all out…” Verstappen said on Saturday after claiming pole.
“I gave it everything, clipped a few barriers, but you have to be on pole here.”
