Max Verstappen, from the Netherlands, and his team, Red Bull Racing, do not expect to win the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix this weekend due to ongoing issues during practice. In recent races, Ferrari and McLaren have caught up to Red Bull, and the team was prepared for a more competitive race on the challenging Monte Carlo track. However, the practice session did not go as planned, with none of the drivers managing to place in the top 10 in FP1. They struggled with the balance of the RB20 car. Verstappen was able to improve in the second practice session, finishing in fourth place, but still over half a second behind Charles Leclerc in first. Verstappen admitted that Monaco proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated, with many irregularities, curbs, and changes in slope on the track that made it impossible for their car to perform well. He expressed frustration with the lack of a clear solution to the problems they were facing and acknowledged that they cannot make immediate changes to the car design. Despite their difficulties, Verstappen remains focused on solving their issues and improving the car’s drivability, rather than worrying about the performance of their rivals. He had a minor incident when his left rear wheel hit the barrier at Portier, highlighting the difficulty of driving on the uneven track. He considers this a valuable lesson and recognizes that the weekend will continue to be challenging.
