Max Verstappen Hails Red Bull’s “Extremely Positive” Turnaround After Narrowly Missing Monaco Pole

Max Verstappen said he was pleasantly surprised by Red Bull’s pace in Monaco qualifying after recovering from a difficult final practice session to put himself in contention for pole position. Verstappen had finished a distant fifth in FP3, nearly a second behind Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, but turned things around in the decisive qualifying hour. In the end, Antonelli edged Verstappen by just four hundredths of a second, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, and George Russell’s Mercedes completed the top five.

Verstappen said he would have gladly accepted a front-row start if it had been offered to him after Friday and Saturday morning’s struggles. He described the team’s qualifying performance as extremely positive, especially given the issues Red Bull faced earlier in the day. He also praised the quality of his laps, noting that he had to manage traffic and the constant threat of the barriers on Monaco’s narrow street circuit.

The four-time world champion also reflected on how the current generation of cars behaves around Monte Carlo. He said the 2026-spec machines are more difficult to control than in previous years, with more edge in their handling, different power delivery, driveability and gear shifts. Verstappen said that once a driver gets the car into a clean rhythm and extracts a full lap in qualifying, the reward is significant because everything has to be done at the limit on Monaco’s unforgiving layout.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Verstappen emphasized the importance of the start and the run to the first corner, where position can be decisive on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult. He also pointed out that the cars behind him have shown strong starts this season, adding another layer of uncertainty to the opening phase of the Grand Prix.

Despite the pressure, Verstappen said he enjoyed the session and was pleased with the team’s overall result. The performance represents a strong rebound from FP3 and keeps him firmly in the fight at one of the most demanding and iconic venues on the Formula 1 calendar.