Surprise for Verstappen: First row in Monaco

– After his second place in Monaco qualifying, Max Verstappen emphasizes: “I felt like myself in the car again.”

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The four-time world champion is not only referring to his starting position, but also to the driving feel in the RB22. “The chassis regulations are not that bad at all,” Verstappen explains after the session.

Although the Red Bull driver is considered one of the sharpest critics of Formula 1 2026, many weaknesses of the regulations do not come into play too much on a slow track like Monaco. In addition, the FIA adjusted the engine mapping of the cars before the weekend and banned the use of active aerodynamics.

“The cars are a bit narrower and I think it was okay,” Verstappen continues. “I like that I can see the front axle better around the apex of a corner, instead of these [wheel covers] that were there before.”

“If you can go full throttle and use the gears in the corners the way you want, then it always gets better,” says the Red Bull driver.

“I felt like myself in the car again, let’s put it that way. Especially with the way you can use the gears. Unfortunately, there won’t be too many such things on the calendar, but it certainly provides a more natural driving feel.”

In the end, Verstappen was only 43 thousandths short of Kimi Antonelli’s best time. The Red Bull driver even secured the best time in the first and third sectors, while Antonelli excelled in the second sector.

“We still have small problems, especially in the middle sector,” Verstappen explains. “That’s where we lose most of the time. You have to go over some kerbs, there are a few bumps, and at the moment all such things are a bit complicated for our car.”

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According to his own statement, Verstappen had not expected a fight for pole. “Honestly, before getting into the cockpit, I thought: ‘Okay, let’s do some damage limitation, maybe get into the top 5.'”

“That was the goal,” Verstappen emphasizes. “But I would definitely say that the car felt a bit better at the start of qualifying.”

All in all, the 71-time Grand Prix winner summarizes: “Overall, we had a good qualifying. We were up there, we fought for pole, and if you had told me that yesterday, when we already looked quite okay, I would have taken it immediately.”

“It’s a really good turnaround. Yes, I’m really happy, that wasn’t the case this morning. Now I’m pretty happy again. You know, that’s good, of course, when it matters.”

“That was the most important session of the weekend,” Verstappen emphasizes. “Tomorrow, of course, there’s still the start, and that seems even more important this year than in recent years. It wasn’t that crucial then, I would say. We still have to look at that, but overall it has been a very positive weekend for us so far.”

Teammate Isack Hadjar starts the Grand Prix on Sunday from fifth position. Only his accident in FP1 has been a blemish on the Milton Keynes team’s clean sheet this weekend so far.

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