It’s not always that Max Verstappen falls outside of the top step of the podium given the rather dominant form he has exemplarily demonstrated in the last two seasons. But that’s exactly what transpired as far as the recent F1 Grand Prix at Monte Carlo was concerned.
But, important to recollect what took place prior to this last race?
After surprisingly missing out on the top step of the podium at the recent Miami Grand Prix (which was won stylishly by Lando Norris), Max Verstappen fought back to claim victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (at Imola). But he would again miss out on the big victory at the famous streets of Monte Carlo, an event utterly dominated by Charles Leclerc, the local hero and someone who was primed to ace the contest after taking pole position (his third at the venue).
And while Max Verstappen of Red Bull is still very much the number one driver on the 2024 Driver Standings, it can be evidently seen that others, especially Leclerc and Norris are catching up and giving a stern fight to Red Bull’s strongman.
As a matter of fact, Monaco and Imola weren’t the only instances where Red Bull and their main man, Max Verstappen were beaten; earlier in the season, it was Carlos Sainz jr. who emerged triumphant at the Melbourne-bound Australian Grand Prix. Of the eight races held so far, Max Verstappen has won five.
But having said that, does it mean that cracks have begun to appear on the Milton Keynes-based outfit? On the contrary, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, most recently, happened to underplay the fact that Ferrari’s (recent) dominance indicates that they are going to put total brakes on the Red Bull show, an aspect that has been evident since 2022 up to this point.
However, having said that, the experienced and wise Frenchman also highlighted the fact that the famed Dutch driver has been erring as seen in the recent Formula 1 events.
Having said that, in the light of the recent events the top boss at Ferrari’s racing outfit alluded to the fact that Max Verstappen had made more racing errors as seen recently than was evident in the previous (already concluded) seasons.
That being said, Vassuer also seemed in no mood to overestimate Ferrari’s recent triumph as seen on the famous streets of Monte Carlo. He didn’t seem to be in any mood whatsoever to suggest that now with two victories in the bag of the red racing stable as seen so far, the team have already stopped Verstappen and his Red Bull outfit from conquering the world championship.
Upon the conclusion of the recent Monaco Grand Prix, Fred Vassuer suggested that being a strong unit Red Bull would look to bounce back strongly after clinching what has clearly been their worst result so far. It ought to be remembered that only one car finished in points and that was just Verstappen’s, which was well outside of the top five at Monaco.
All of that said, the next Formula 1 race is at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at Montreal in Canada. With exactly the opposite characteristics to that of Monaco, such as- low speed corners and different kerbs and chicanes, the big question for now is- will the track favour Max Verstappen? Will we see Red Bull returning to the top step of the podium once again?
Only time will tell what will happen. But for now, all eyes are transfixed on race number 9 of the current season.