Christian Horner speaks out on key issue after Max Verstappen fails to reach the podium.
Max Verstappen spent much of the Monaco Grand Prix in the lead, but this was primarily because he extended his stint before pitting, driven by a significant issue with the track.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has highlighted the “fundamental problem” with the Circuit de Monaco that prevented Max Verstappen from making any progress during the race.
Despite starting in fourth, the four-time world champion led for significant stretches of the Monaco Grand Prix — though this was largely because he delayed his pit stops compared to his rivals.
After completing his two mandatory stops, the second of which came at the end of the penultimate lap, Verstappen ultimately finished in the same position he started: fourth.
Horner acknowledged that the new race format added some strategic intrigue, but emphasized that Monaco’s core issue remains its lack of overtaking opportunities.
“Yeah, I’d say it was an improvement. Strategically, it was more engaging,” Horner said to select media, including RacingNews365. “There was definitely more at stake, and it was better than last year’s procession. But the fundamental problem is you just can’t overtake here. Drivers can cruise around several seconds off the pace, and that’s the root of the issue. It’s specific to this circuit, and it’s been like that for 72 years.”
Verstappen extended all of his stints in hopes of a safety car or red flag, which might have given him a real shot at taking the lead. Red Bull knew this was likely his only chance at victory, but no such opportunity arose.
“We took a bit of a gamble today,” Horner explained. “Starting on the hard tyres, our plan was to go long and hope for a safety car or red flag, which is not uncommon here. Max led much of the race as a result, but it ended up being one of those rare Monaco GPs where everyone stayed in line and avoided incidents.
“We came close to Oscar during the first stop — at one point, he had a bit of a moment on his second lap out — but even then, we would’ve only been alongside at best. So we decided to keep going.”
