Verstappen slates Monaco regulation changes after two-stop rule flops
The Dutchman suggested video game tactics to make the Monaco Grand Prix more interesting next season
Max Verstappen once again hit out at the uneventful nature of the Monaco Grand Prix after he finished fourth despite moves to make the race more exciting.
The troubled recent history of the race took another turn on Sunday after the governing body enforced a mandatory two pit-stop rule, but it only exposed team orders down the field.
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda was caught up in the midfield melee after the VCARB and Williams drivers dramatically slowed the pack to favour their driver further up the road, allowing them to make two quick stops without dropping positions. Unable to pass around the streets though, several cars, including Tsunoda, were powerless to prevent it.
Verstappen, starting fourth, led for long periods in the race, but stopped out of sequence compared to those around him. Making his final stop with a lap to go, he dropped from the lead to fourth, following home Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri who also finished where they started.
Last year, Verstappen had similar gripes about the dull nature of driving at Monaco, and this season was no different, as he joked the sport’s bosses should cite Mario Kart for inspiration.
“Honestly, we were almost doing Mario Kart,” he said. “Then we have to install bits on the car, maybe, you know, you can throw bananas around. I don’t know. Slippery surface!”
He continued: “You can’t race here anyway, so it doesn’t matter what you do, one stop, 10 stops.
“I mean, even at the end, right? I was in the lead, but my tyres are completely gone, and you still can’t pass. I think nowadays, with an F1 car, you can just pass a Formula 2 car around here.
“It was not the most exciting race and I felt pretty neutral. This is not our track, it’s as simple as that and it is just not made for our car. In Barcelona we should be able to race more.”
Tsunoda was lucky to survive an early incident with former team-mate Pierre Gasly when the Alpine driver crashed into his rear wheel. The Japanese also pitted late on hoping for a safety car or a red flag, dropped from 12th at the start to 17th come the chequered flag.
He said: “It has been a frustrating weekend for me overall but there was nothing I could do much differently today, it’s down to me to be qualifying better.
“Monaco is not fun when you are just sitting or driving by yourself, you can’t create your rhythm when you are stuck behind people.”