Verstappen’s Monaco hopes end instantly
Red Bull star retires within meters as ICE failure stops him before Turn 1
Max Verstappen’s Monaco Grand Prix ended almost before it began. The Dutchman rolled only a few meters off the line before his RB22 shut down with a terminal ICE failure, forcing him to crawl back toward the pits and retire on the opening lap. A brutal end to a weekend that had promised so much.
Verstappen felt trouble before the lights went out
After the race, Verstappen revealed that the issue didn’t come completely out of nowhere. He already sensed something was wrong during the formation lap, describing the car as “not feeling right” even before the start procedure began. Moments later, the combustion engine failed entirely.
“I could feel it already on the formation lap. Something wasn’t right,” he explained. “And then after a few meters it was over. The ICE was gone.”
The disappointment was clear, but Verstappen remained surprisingly calm.
A podium was realistic and maybe more
Starting from the front row after an “unbelievably fast” qualifying lap on Saturday, Verstappen believed a podium was absolutely within reach.
“The car was really good yesterday. I had set my mind on at least finishing on the podium,” he said. “If I had slotted in behind Kimi at the start, I probably wouldn’t have won, the Mercedes is just the fastest car right now, but we never even got that far.”
Instead, he rolled slowly toward the pit lane, powerless to do anything. “Kansloos,” he summarized. No chance.
Red Bull investigating the cause
Red Bull has a working theory about what failed inside the power unit, but Verstappen stressed that the team needs to investigate thoroughly before drawing conclusions.
“We have an idea, but we need to look into it properly,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but that’s racing.”
Still, he managed a smile afterward, helped by the fact that home was just around the corner.
“I’m happy I can go home now,” he joked. “Luckily it’s only 500 meters. I live here.”
Eyes on Spain and a decade-old milestone
Verstappen now shifts focus to next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, the circuit where he famously took his first Formula 1 victory in 2016, exactly ten years ago.
Although he expects Mercedes to be strong again, and Ferrari to be a major threat, he believes Red Bull can still surprise if the car continues to develop and reliability holds.
“If we have no technical problems and the car keeps improving, maybe we can fight at the front again,” he said.
Spain offers a chance to reset and perhaps to rewrite the story that Monaco never allowed to begin.
