Red Bull Racing lead the constructors world championship after Max Verstappen wins the Monaco Grand Prix! Not only this but the Dutchman for the first time in his career leads the drivers world championship as Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, have a day to forget.
Verstappen technically started the race from pole, as original pole-sitter home-boy Charles Leclerc failed to start the race due to a technical fault. From the moment the lights went out Verstappen never looked back as he cruised his way to his first ever Monaco podium, as a Monaco Grand Prix winner.
On the other side of the garage it was fourth place for Sergio Pérez, who completed a quadruple overcut after a masterclass call from the Red Bull tacticians.
Both Red Bull drivers were in a prime position to capitalise on the disaster day for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and Valtteri Bottas retired during a pit-stop, after a wheel nut fault caused the front right to become impossible to remove.
Team Principal Christian Horner is immensely proud of his team today in what was a phenomenal effort, Verstappen’s win also marks Honda’s first Monaco victory since Ayrton Senna in 1992!
“It’s a phenomenal day for the Team. Max was disappointed yesterday that we didn’t get to see him deliver a pole position lap but he dealt with the frustration well and when the opportunity presented itself today he seized it with both hands, driving faultlessly from start to finish to deliver our fifth Monaco victory. Checo also drove an incredibly strong race, the strategy worked well and he had brilliant pace in clean air enabling him to finish fourth.” Said Horner.
He continued: “It’s Honda’s first win here since Senna in 1992, the first time they’ve led the championship since 1991 and we have to credit them for their hard work in helping us get to this point. They’ve done a great job and to have three Honda cars in the top six is a fantastic result.
“As a Team we have great strength in depth and finishing first or second in the first five races of the season is a phenomenal example of teamwork and our ability to fight. There is a long way to go in this championship but we should always enjoy the wins. Commiserations to Charles and Ferrari, it was a tough day for them but great to see them back up there in the mix. The championship is very tight at the top and today was an important step for us.”
