Monaco Grand Prix – Max Verstappen conceded that he didn’t allow himself to go “all in” during the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was forced into starting from the back of the grid.
The Dutchman had a torrid time on qualifying day; a crash in free practice three meant his car could not be rebuilt in time for the qualifying session, meaning he had to start the race from the back of the grid.
From there, he made several overtakes and profited from an extended first stint to recover to ninth place, albeit with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo winning a race in which Red Bull were very competitive.
However, he admitted afterwards that he thought it was important to demonstrate a controlled race and not take too many risks.
“I know what I have to do and what not,” said Verstappen. “I cannot permit myself to go all in and see what the outcome is. That’s just the situation I am in at the moment.
“I just didn’t want to go too risky [on Sunday] and have a crash because I cannot be in that position now. I think I did everything [in the race] with a certain margin. If I would have taken a bit more risk I don’t think I would have got past the guys ahead of me.”
He added that whilst he was encouraged by the race he was able to run, he wasn’t content with his weekend overall.
“I enjoyed myself out there, passing a few people and having the right strategy,” he said. “Starting last I managed to get two places straight away at the start which was good.
“From there it was just a case of trying to pass. At times it was easier than others, with different drivers and engines on the straights, but I still managed to squeeze past a few drivers so that’s always good.
“It wasn’t where I wanted to finish, looking back on the whole weekend with the performance of the car. But if you have to start last with the problem I had with the crash I had in practice, you do the best you can.
“It’s positive. The car is really strong. Of course not on every track we can show that potential because of the deficit on the straight but it’s good to know we have a good car.”
Verstappen currently sits in sixth place in the drivers’ championship, three positions and 37 points behind Ricciardo.
