World champions Red Bull are looking for their fourth consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory this weekend. They’ve made the streets of the principality their own in recent years.
Max Verstappen started the streak in 2021 when he scored his first-ever Monaco win en route to the title. He received a big helping hand as home favourite and pole-sitter Charles Leclerc suffered a driveshaft issue that ruled him out of the race.
A year later, it was Sergio Perez’s turn. Leclerc once again took pole but the Mexican capitalised on the red-flag, wet-weather chaos on race day to snatch victory.
And in 2023, Verstappen survived a mid-race shower to beat Fernando Alonso to the chequered flag. If they can continue their run this weekend, Red Bull will match Mercedes (2013-16) and BRM (1963-66) for consecutive Monaco triumphs.
Ayrton Senna and McLaren hold the outright record, having rattled off five on the bounce between 1989 and 1993. Senna sits top of the all-time winners’ list at this circuit on six.
Verstappen is hoping to tie Lewis Hamilton, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg on three. But there are signs that it may not be a straightforward weekend for the 26-year-old.
James Vowles struck by rough Red Bull ride at Monaco Grand Prix
Both Red Bull drivers finished outside the top 10 in FP1, but the lap times weren’t necessarily a concern because they didn’t run the soft tyres. The real worry was that Verstappen reported the car being on a ‘knife-edge’.
And there was little sign of an improvement in the second session. The Dutchman set the fourth-fastest time but finished more than half a second adrift of pace-setter Leclerc.
Verstappen told his team over the radio that he felt like a ‘kangaroo’, such was the aggressive bouncing he was experiencing over the Monaco bumps. Perez called it a ‘horrendous’ experience.
During an interview on Sky Sports F1, Williams boss James Vowles offered his take on the Bulls’ issues. While he says it’s difficult to perfect the ride height in Monaco, he noticed that Perez’s onboard footage looked especially rough.
“You need to get the floor as close to the ground as possible,” he said. “We’ve got a good compromise between having good downforce and getting good ride out of it.
“It’s not as smooth as it seems. It’s still a street fundamentally. I had a look at the Red Bull footage when you came to me and that does look to be hitting the ground pretty hard.”
Martin Brundle sees Max Verstappen do something he hasn’t done for a ‘while’
Red Bull put together the most dominant season in F1 history in 2023, but they’re no longer having it all their own way. Lando Norris won in Miami and then chased Verstappen right to the chequered flag last time out at Imola.
Now Ferrari, who emulated McLaren by introducing an aggressive upgrade package on home soil, have laid down a marker too. After a sustained period of untouchable form, Verstappen and co. are finally coming under pressure.
And Sky F1’s Martin Brundle says that’s noticeable in their demeanour. He spotted Verstappen complaining about his car more than he had for a ‘while’ in a lengthy debrief.
Verstappen will enter the Grand Prix with a 48-point advantage in the drivers’ championship. If Red Bull can’t iron out their Friday issues, he’ll hope they’re merely track-specific given the unique nature of this Monaco circuit.
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