Max Verstappen Takes ‘F2 Car’ Jibe at Monaco GP over Lack of Overtaking

Max Verstappen continues his Monaco GP rant as the newly introduced two-stop rule did not improve racing this year.

Max Verstappen Takes ‘F2 Car’ Jibe at Monaco GP over Lack of Overtaking

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull), Kush Maini driving F2 car in Monaco (via F2)

The Monaco GP, which runs around the legendary Monte Carlo Circuit, is one of the most iconic tracks in the history of Formula 1, hosting a race ever since the sport’s inception in 1950. Although the track has changed a few aspects in the layout, it has majorly remained the same ever since. While the F1 cars received massive overhauls in design and size, the track’s narrow lanes remained the same. As such, Max Verstappen, who is a common critic of the race, has once again taken a dig at the lack of racing action.

To increase the racing action and make the race more exciting, F1 announced a compulsory two-stop rule for the teams and drivers. This seemed like a great idea until the main race, as this rule did not make any massive improvements in the racing action. On the contrary, the teams were forced to waste an extra set of compounds for practically no reason.

Max Verstappen, who had criticized the Monaco GP and its racing action back in 2024 as well, has retraced his words once again. The Dutchman lost out on the win only because of the two-stop strategy, as he was forced to pit in the last lap. Due to this, Verstappen explained that there was no racing action at the Monte Carlo Circuit regardless of the number of pit stops.

The Dutchman highlighted that he led the race despite running the medium compounds for more than 40 laps and still couldn’t be overtaken by Lando Norris behind who was on much fresher tires. As such, Verstappen reiterated that overtaking was impossible at the Monaco GP. The reigning world champion then joked that the smaller sizes of the F2 car meant that overtaking was possible only in those cars.

You can’t race here anyway, one stop, ten stops. I was even in the lead with my tyres gone, and you can’t overtake. You can just about overtake an F2 car here.

Max Verstappen said in a post-race interview

Max Verstappen jokes ‘four more’ pit stops would not have changed the race

The Monaco GP offers little to no racing action and barely any overtakes due to the tight layout and street format. While many drivers have made some incredible moves in Monaco, they do so very rarely and with a great risk of crashing out. Due to this, Max Verstappen stood firm on his belief and quipped that no matter the number of pit stops, the finishing order might have remained the same.

Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

Verstappen asserted that there was nothing more he could have done at the Monaco GP to improve his position in the pecking order. The Dutchman started from P4, and that is exactly where he finished as he did not overtake anyone on the track. As such, the 27-year-old joked that even four more pit stops would not have improved his position on the track. The reigning world champion finally ends his rant by claiming that this was the nature of Monaco, and races were bound to remain the same there.

There was nothing more, I could have done four stops and still finish where I did, that’s Monaco for you, if you don’t have something happen.

Max Verstappen noted

Max Verstappen’s improving pace was difficult to predict at the Monaco GP due to no racing action. The upcoming Spanish GP might be completely different for Verstappen, as he is known to be successful on that track. The 27-year-old will now prepare for the track where he won his first-ever race with Red Bull and aim to keep up with that success. Time will tell if Milton Keynes manages to bridge the performance gap to McLaren at the forefront.

Read More: Local Hero Charles Leclerc Accepts Defeat to Deserving Lando Norris at Monaco GP