Max Verstappen, flash retirement for the Dutchman: what happened in Monte Carlo

One second. That’s how long, in fact, the Monaco Grand Prix lasted for Max Verstappen: having started from the second position on the grid, the Dutchman experienced a nightmarish start because when the lights went out, his Red Bull literally planted itself on the spot, leaving him motionless while the rest of the group sprinted toward Sainte Dévote.

The accident risk, by the way, was enormous, given the nature of the track, narrow and surrounded by barriers. The drivers of the cars behind him had to avoid it at the last moment, testing their reflexes hard to ensure that there was no contact. Fortunately, everything went smoothly (except, of course, for Verstappen himself) and the dreaded pileup did not occur.

Verstappen then managed to get the single-seater going again, but only to queue up at the back of the pack. Over the radio, he immediately informed the pit box that he had an engine problem, while the team asked him to continue to attempt a moving diagnosis and try to make sense of the four-time world champion’s Sunday, who was forced to spin like a lapped car after a few hundred meters.

On the second lap came the confirmation: official retirement. Red Bull called Verstappen back to the pits, ending a race that, in fact, never started. An unexpected denouement, leaving the Dutchman empty-handed on the most iconic weekend of the season. A problem that inevitably opens questions about the resilience of Red Bull, which is increasingly distant from the top positions in the championship.