Max Verstappen explains why he publicly criticized Red Bull after the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session—the matter has since been resolved internally
Max Verstappen caused a stir after qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix when he publicly stated that Red Bull had not taken his feedback on the car setup into account. The four-time Formula 1 world champion explained that he had followed the team’s preferred approach, partly to demonstrate that this strategy would not work.
“I’ve brought this up so many times, but sometimes you have to let the others feel for themselves that it doesn’t work,” Verstappen said in Canada. Team principal Laurent Mekies later clarified that such “I told you so” situations are part of the team culture and, in his view, are even necessary to make progress.
“We talk about this all the time. We’re always trying to find the optimum or at least make progress,” says Verstappen. However, the direction taken in Montreal was “no progress at all.” This became clear after a thorough analysis. “Hopefully, this is just a lesson for the upcoming races so we can ensure we’re heading in the right direction.”
First win in 2026 still a long way off?
Even at the previous race in Montreal, Verstappen had jokingly remarked with an eye toward the Monaco Grand Prix that he would have to “order a new back” for the race, as the RB22 continues to show weaknesses on bumps and curbs.
Now Verstappen adds that little has changed in recent weeks and that he therefore expects a difficult weekend in the Principality and does not anticipate a second podium finish in a row.
Red Bull’s engine partner Ford, meanwhile, had hinted that the first podium finish of the year had raised expectations and that they were hoping for a win this season. However, Verstappen does not consider this realistic given the current balance of power.
Is Ferrari the Monaco favorite?
“Quite a few things would have to happen for us to win a race. You can say that, but you have to stick to the facts. We’re still too slow to win, and I think that will be the case here as well.”
For Monaco, Verstappen agrees with McLaren’s assessment that the team from Maranello is the favorite heading into the race weekend.
“If you look at the past races, Ferrari has been extremely strong in the slow corners. That’s why I think they’ll be very good here. That’s my feeling. Here, you have to be good in slow corners, but you also have to be able to drive well over the curbs and bumps and have a car that handles well.”
Overtaking problem in Monaco
Finally, Verstappen tells Motorsport.com that, in his view, the new generation of cars will make little difference in Monaco. The view from the cockpit may be slightly better, but he does not expect any noticeable improvement in overtaking opportunities.
“The cars are smaller; you can see more of the tires. On the other hand, the handling is a bit trickier than last year, so I don’t think that will make a big difference,” says Verstappen.
“And the cars are still too big. You can’t overtake in Formula 2 either. You can’t overtake in Formula 3 either. You can’t even overtake in a Porsche Cup car. If you’re battling the cars around you, you can’t overtake.”
The Red Bull driver therefore expects that overtaking maneuvers will remain a rarity in Monaco in 2026 as well.
