Success at Monaco F1 Grand Prix ‘Heavily Dependent’ on strategy

Oracle Red Bull Racing driver and current F1 Drivers Championship leader Max Verstappen has pointed to strategy as being key to a successful weekend for his Team at Monaco this year.

For Verstappen Monaco is a home Grand Prix, of sorts, as the Dutch driver has made his base there in recent years. But home comforts will be the last thing on his mind this weekend.

“Looking ahead to Monaco, qualifying is so important there so we need to make sure we are as strong as we can be in that session,” explained the current World Champion. “The circuit in Monaco is super tight, even more than other street circuits.

Verstappen added: “So, nailing a quali lap here is extremely difficult but at the same time very exciting. The race is usually heavily dependent on the strategy as overtaking is almost impossible.”

Aspiration

Fellow Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez pointed to Monaco as being the race every young driver aspires to win.

“This is the race every driver wants to win growing up and I was lucky enough to achieve that last season. That has only made me more hungry to stand on the top step once again.”

However, as last year’s race showed, weather can play a part in the eventual course of the race.

“The weather could be tricky again here, which means we have to maximise every moment we get in the car. It’s important we get our set up right and qualifying goes well to have any chance of winning on Sunday. I am massively looking forward to getting back onto this track, it’s a fun drive!,” the Mexican driver added.

Oracle Rad Bull Racing Fun Stats

• Max’s next victory will give him the record for the most wins in the Team’s history. His latest win in Miami moved him level with Seb Vettel on 38 wins for the Team.
• Checo’s triumph in the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix was the first for a North American driver in Monte Carlo since Canadian Gilles Villeneuve won in 1981.
• Following his win from ninth in the Miami GP, Max has now won from eight different grid positions since the start of 2022 alone, only one short of the career record of nine different winning grid positions, held by Fernando Alonso.
• The Team has taken ‘hat-trick’ wins in three of the last four GPs with Max and Checo securing pole, the win and fastest lap between them in Jeddah, Australia and Miami.
• Raceday in Monaco falls on the anniversary of the first-ever podium finish for the Team, when David Coulthard finished third in the 2006 Monaco GP.