Max Verstappen only managed to achieve a time of 1:10:567 in the Q3 qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. The 2024 qualifying session proved to be memorable for McLaren and Ferrari, but it was a nightmare for Red Bull. By the end of the session, Verstappen and his teammate found themselves in sixth and eighteenth places, respectively.
The Red Bull RB20 did not perform well at the Monaco Street Circuit, which is 3.3 km long, and Verstappen acknowledged this. He described their performance during qualifying as disastrous and admitted that his time in Q3 was far from impressive, not even close to 1:10:270.
Verstappen’s disappointment was evident in his reaction. He was particularly upset with how Red Bull’s Monaco qualifying session unfolded. Although he finished in sixth place, it was unexpected that his teammate was eliminated in Q1.
Despite the disappointment, Verstappen revealed that Red Bull made several attempts to improve the RB20 before qualifying. Both he and Perez faced various issues since Friday.
Furthermore, Verstappen’s sixth-place qualifying time of 1:10:567 was slower than that of Mercedes. Although Red Bull’s Formula 1 team is currently leading the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari could significantly reduce the gap by the end of the race weekend in Monaco. Currently, Red Bull is only 50 points ahead of Leclerc and his team.
