Max Verstappen explains Monaco GP horror start and retirement | F1 | Sport

Everyone was anticipating a blockbuster start to the Monaco Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen lining up on the front row of the grid behind only Kimi Antonelli on pole. But we never got to see how that would end heading into the first corner, as Verstappen suffered an engine issue which saw him fail to get away off the line.

His Red Bull was left crawling to that first corner while every other car flew past. Verstappen did manage to get the car moving a little faster, but all he could do was guide it back to the pit lane where he pulled over in front of his garage to retire from the race.

Once he got out of his car, he headed straight to the media pen where he was asked to explain what had happened. “We knew the formation lap was not going very well. And then, after that, the pre-start was terrible and there was just no consistency,” the Dutchman said.

“And then the engine just dropped out and I only got a little bit of power back after the first corner. But the engine sounded really awful, and so, yeah, I could not go full throttle. So I brought it back, and that was it.”

Verstappen will have the chance to put the misery behind him quickly with the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix approaching next weekend. He was surprised to have been able to qualify as high as second place at the bumpy Monte Carlo street circuit and raised a positive smile as he gave a hopeful answer when asked what he can hope for in Spain.

The Red Bull driver said: “It’s a completely different track, so it will actually be a good place to really see if we’ve made a proper step forward, or not. Because that track is all about high-speed and aero performance, so that will be an interesting weekend.”