Max finishes ninth in Monaco Grand Prix: 'Maximised the result'

Published on 27 May 2018 by Raymond Snip

Max Verstappen finishes ninth in the Grand Prix of Monaco. The Dutchman, who had to start from the back after not having taken part in qualifying due to a crash in free practice three, was chasing the entire race and did some nice overtaking in the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. However, he wasn’t able to get more than a ninth place. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team-mate Daniel Ricciardo won the race in a formidable way. Despite a problem that caused the Australian to lose power, he managed to keep Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton behind.

"I enjoyed myself and I think we maximised the result", Max explained after the race. "After having started last, I immediately won two spots at the start. It worked out well and luckily, they did not respond. I could brake properly for the first corner. I saw people colliding and wings flying off, so I kept some distance. In any case, I beat two cars at the start, so that helped."

"Then I tried to overtake more cars. Of course, that is easier with some drivers than with others, but I managed to pass a few drivers, so that's always good. I think we also had the right strategy to stay out and stretch the first stint as much as possible, even though the ultra-soft tyre wasn’t a great tyre in Monaco. I think the hyper soft was a much more consistent tyre than the ultra-soft tyre. The left front tyre had a lot of graining, the rubber had worn off, and the rear tires had that as well. So, with three wheels I was sliding a lot."

During the race Max reported a different problem on the radio, namely with his gearbox: "The problem I had with downshifting where the rear wheels blocked with shifting from three to two, which is not great at this track," explains the Dutchman "I think that was also caused a bit by the tyres, because after I got new tyres, it disappeared."

Once switched to the hypersofts, Verstappen had regained speed and even put down the fastest lap: "After the stop it just went well. The speed has never been an issue this weekend. When you start at the back, you have to make sure that you close the gap as quickly as possible, so that at least you have a chance to overtake people. With Sainz that was possible, because he had enormous problems with his tyres. We gave each other just enough space and it all went well. At the end there was a train from fourth to ninth position, so I think ninth was the best we could do today."

After his crash in free practice three, Max was a little more cautious today: "Today I didn’t want to go too risky, because I cannot be in that position again. I did everything with a certain margin and I think that if I had taken more risks I would not have passed the guys in front of me. We tried to make the best of it and now you have to make sure that this does not happen again. These are very painful moments, but I think that sometimes you also need these to get better. Of course, so far this year did not go entirely well. It would be even worse if you are not fast enough and that is not the problem. Now we head to the next race and then of course we just try to start from the front", Max concludes, who obviously congratulates his teammate with his victory: "Daniel did a superb job today."

There are a few raindrops before the start of the race in the principality, but the track remains completely dry. Max could not participate in qualifying due to a crash in free practice three and therefore has to start from the back. Verstappen gets away on the ultra-soft tires and immediately passes the two Haas cars. Verstappen is P18 after the first lap. Teammate Ricciardo manages to hold the lead from pole, closely followed by Vettel and Hamilton.

Max advances by overtaking Marcus Ericsson in lap five at Mirabeau. In lap seven, Lance Stroll and Brendon Hartley also are set back by the Dutchman. At that moment, Sergey Sirotkin sitting out a ten-second stop-go penalty, as a result of which Max moves to P14. The Williams team gets a set-back when in lap ten Lance Stroll hits the pits with a flat tyre.

Lewis Hamilton is in lap 12 the first of the leaders to make his pitstop. Vettel and Ricciardo follow a few laps later. No position changes take place, which puts the Australian back in the lead. With pit stops by Stoffel Vandoorne and Sergio Perez, Max moves up to the tenth spot and is back in the points.

Nevertheless, not everything runs smoothly for the Dutchman. He reports on his radio that he has difficulty with shifting from third to the second gear. There are also problems with his teammate. In lap 28 Ricciardo reports om his radio a loss of power to his RB14. Vettel closes in quickly, but wisely waits for a good opportunity.

In the following laps, Hamilton joins the pair, putting the top three within three seconds of each other. Verstappen reports on his radio that his ultra-soft tires are starting to wear out. In the 48th lap, the Dutchman makes his stop. On a new set of hypersofts, the Dutchman returns to the track in eleventh spot and starts the hunt for Sainz who is in 10th.

Verstappen moves up to the tenth place when in lap 54 Fernando Alonso parks his car off track from P7 with gearbox problems. Two laps later, Verstappen places an attack on Sainz at the chicane after the tunnel. The first attempt doesn’t work. A lap later Verstappen manages to pass by Sainz and is in ninth. On a clear track, Max immediately sets the fastest race lap with a 1: 14.260, about four seconds faster than the front runners. Verstappen is quick to close in on Pierre Gasly and Hulkenberg, but is unable to pass them.

In lap 72, at the chicane after the tunnel, Charles Leclerc, crashes into the back of Brendon Hartley due to brake faillure. Both drivers are OK, but they’re out of the race. There is a short virtual safety car period to remove the debris from the track. After releasing the track, Ricciardo immediately pulls away from  the chasing Vettel. In the final laps there are no more changes, resulting in the Australian getting his second win of the season. Vettel finishes second, followed by Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas. Esteban Ocon manages to finish in sixth place for Force India. The train, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg and Max Verstappen reach the finish in seven, eight and ninth place.

Results Grand Prix Monaco: