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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes that the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are entering the Monaco GP weekend as favorites to win.
In the first five races of the season, Red Bull dominated proceedings and won every race. However, heading into Monaco, there is some doubt that the Austrian team may not be a clear favorite, given the track layout.
Speaking to the media, including Motorsport-Total, about favorites to win, Max Verstappen said:
"I don't know what Mercedes is doing either. At the end of the day, it's not the end of the world either, it's just one race on the calendar. We just have to get good points. But of course, I think, maybe Charles, Ferrari in general. I mean, Carlos is doing pretty well here too. But I also think Aston Martin is quite good at low speeds and in general they weren't that efficient on the straights, so I think they can be good here.
"It's not just the car, it's the track layout in general. The corners are so tight, so slow, that sometimes you need a completely different behavior from the car than on normal tracks and also the way you have to drive it."
“We’ve not been, let’s say, very dominant in qualifying" - Max Verstappen
Despite taking pole position in four of the five races, Max Verstappen stated that Red Bull have not been dominant in qualifying.
As per F1.com, he said:
“We’ve not been, let’s say, very dominant in qualifying. We have always been very good in the race, but in the race here we know we can’t pass. It’s very important to have a strong qualifying and make sure the car is in the best window it can be for one lap performance because that’s what this weekend is all about.
“It’s still very chaotic, the whole weekend. I personally prefer Monaco when we are not here for Formula 1, but it is alright. I think everyone enjoys coming here, putting it on the limit, and trying to be as close as you can be to the walls. From that side of things of course it’s an amazing feeling to be driving.”
However, no one can count Red Bull and Max Verstappen out of contention in Monaco, given the incredible season the Dutchman is having.
