Max Verstappen took advantage of Charles Leclerc’s gearbox malfunction to lead Sunday’s
Monaco Grand Prix from start to finish and move into the lead of the FIA Formula One World
Championship for the first time ever.
With Leclerc’s Ferrari unable to take its pole position on the starting grid, Dutchman
Verstappen held off Valtteri Bottas into the first corner and controlled the race for his first
Monaco GP win ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and McLaren’s Lando Norris in third.
Red Bull Racing Honda teammate Sergio Pérez produced an assured drive to bank fourth
place with Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda’s Pierre Gasly fending off Lewis Hamilton for sixth and
Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda finishing 16th in his debut at the iconic F1 race.
Verstappen, 23, now leads the driver standings by four points from reigning champion
Hamilton after five of the 23 races with the paddock heading to Baku next for the Azerbaijan
Grand Prix on June 6.
Red Bull Racing Honda
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
“I’m super happy to win the Monaco Grand Prix. It’s such a tricky track and you need a smooth
weekend so I’m very pleased with what we have achieved as a Team and of course with
Honda. I just had to focus on my own race and make sure I had a clean start. Of course it all
looked under control but to keep your focus for so many laps is the hardest part because it’s
easy to relax when you’re in the lead and make a mistake, so you have to keep reminding
yourself to leave your thoughts on the road and stay focused. I think pace wise, we were
always in control because every time someone tried to push me in terms of lap time, we were
able to respond and increase the gap. I’ve never been on the podium here and then the first
time it’s a win, so it’s a bit of redemption for the other races I’ve had here. Looking ahead to
Baku, Mercedes I think are still the ones to beat, they are very quick on the normal tracks. We
are leading the championship and I hope of course to be there at the end of the season
because that’s the most important thing so we cannot get carried away. But for now, a
massive thank you to everyone in the factory and here at the track, we won the Monaco Grand
Prix so let’s enjoy it.”