Dutchman Max Verstappen took his 39th career win at the Monaco Grand Prix. He is now the winningest red Bull F1 driver of all time. The defending champion also marked his second triumph at the principality after dominating the race from start to finish. He built an unassailable lead, and his victory was never in doubt. Even with the rain hitting the track during the latter stages of the race, Verstappen kept his cool to take the checkered flag.
Verstappen maintained his composure on worn medium tires as a short but intense shower added excitement to the otherwise uneventful Monaco GP. He came perilously close to surrendering his victory when he lost control of his RB19 at the first right-hander of Portier, making contact with the outside wall before cautiously continuing through the tunnel.
According to Verstappen, the contact with the wall during his slide aided in regaining control of his car as he battled to stay on track. Speaking to Motorsport.com, he revealed, “I locked the rears and I couldn’t get out of it, so it’s just trying to control it with a bit of drifting. Luckily the wall in a way stopped it from sliding even more.”
Following the scary incident, Verstappen maintained a consistent pace as the track began to dry up with the approaching wave of the checkered flag. However, he acknowledged that it was a strenuous task to keep out of the barriers and prolong his singular pit stop while being pressured by Fernando Alonso.
Max Verstappen builds on his lead at the top with his consistent dominance
Sergio Perez was set to be Verstappen’s biggest challenger this year. However, the last two GPs have not been kind to the Mexicans, as the Dutchman has dominated him mercilessly. The Miami GP saw Verstappen start eight places behind his teammate, who stood on the pole, yet still managed to overtake him and win the race with a decent gap of over 5 seconds for good measure.
The Monaco GP rubbed salt in the wound for Perez while he was humiliated by his title rival, being shown blue flags and lapped on lap 31. This will undoubtedly be a severe blow to Perez’s morale, not to mention going pointless in a race where a positive result was instrumental. With the next race being at a conventional circuit, any edge the Mexican possessed regarding skillset is diminished, with Verstappen favoring them.
Verstappen’s lead has now been increased to 39 points over Perez, standing at an enormous 144 in just six races. He has secured the same out of a possible 164, with a staggering 87.8% scoring rate. Fernando Alonso, with his solid P2, has edged dangerously close to Perez, with a narrow 12-point gap. Verstappen’s win also puts him only two away from the great Ayrton Senna, the driver with the fifth most wins in F1 history.
This means Verstappen is on his way to breaking records at the young age of just 25. With most of his prime ahead of him, he can easily establish himself as one of the greatest drivers F1 has ever witnessed.
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