Max Verstappen reached the finish line five times in this Formula 1 season and in all cases he did so before the competition. He will have to pull out all the stops on Sunday to maintain that series.
After all, it will be a tough task to overtake three at least equivalent cars from the fourth starting area. And so the Limburger may have to hope for chaos with some help from above.
Combination
In Monte Carlo, overtaking is only reserved for drivers who have total control and a suitable car. That top combination is not reserved for Verstappen this weekend – for the time being – who saw confirmation in qualifying what already presented itself in free practice: the Ferraris are in better shape, literally and figuratively, than the Red Bulls.
Also read: Disappointment for Verstappen: fourth starting place in Monaco
Ministries
That’s no surprise. Although both teams, like the leaders Leclerc and Verstappen, appear to be very evenly matched this season, Red Bull mainly relies on top speed and Ferrari mainly on speed in the corners. So Red Bull has something to compensate in the mini state with mini streets called Monaco. And Verstappen and the team seem to have not yet found the desired balance.
Strategic game
We also know that Sunday is usually Verstappen’s best day. “He knows how to get the best out of the car, certainly also on tire strategy,” said L1’s F1 analyst Xavier Maassen in Pitlane earlier this week. “I thought you saw that especially in Miami. In Spain it was different, there Leclerc was on course to win until he had to deal with malheur.” But Verstappen will also need a hand with that strategic game.
Also read: Pitlane: ‘Strategy is Max Verstappen’s trump card in Monaco’
Initiative
For example, he starts behind teammate Sergio Pérez, who not amused was about cautious team orders. Red Bull will always let Verstappen’s title prospects prevail, but Perez now has the initiative. And unlike other circuits, at Monaco it is rarely beneficial to change tires one lap ahead of competitors. It makes it more complicated for Verstappen to outwit Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and – especially – Charles Leclerc.
showers
In that knowledge, Verstappen seems to benefit mainly from obscure, chaotic races in which the existing order is at stake. One thing often helps in Formula 1: rain. Rain showers are expected in Monte Carlo on Sunday afternoon and Verstappen will mainly hope that this precipitation will fall during the race, so that there is something to choose strategically.
Crazy stuff
In conversation with Viaplay, Verstappen himself also looked upwards. “It seems to be looking a bit better for Leclerc at the moment, but the race is still to come,” said the Red Bull driver. “Who knows, it might rain tomorrow and then crazy things can happen. We’ll see what else is possible.”
victory march
Earlier this season, Verstappen already drove from fourth starting position to victory: in the GP of Saudi Arabia, also a street circuit but a track with more space to overtake. He also retired in Bahrain and Australia and drove to victory in Imola (both sprint race and feature race), Miami and Barcelona in the past three race weekends.
Live
Whether Verstappen manages to extend that beautiful series in his hometown will become clear on Sunday afternoon. The Monaco GP starts at 3:00 PM and can be followed live via L1 Radio and the live blog on 1Limburg.