"Warra bottle job from Max Verstappen": Fans react to the Dutch driver messing up his final lap in the F1 Monaco GP qualifying

Max Verstappen had a day to forget at the 2025 Monaco GP qualifying on Saturday (May 24). The Red Bull driver, who is currently eyeing his fifth Championship, fell behind his rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

As Verstappen messed up his final lap at the Principality, fans shared their reactions on social media.

Verstappen posted 1:10.669 on the timesheet to put himself in fifth in the qualifying. He was over seven-tenths slower than Norris, the pole sitter. In his final flying lap, the Dutchman lost time in the middle sector, and from then on it became almost impossible for him to cut the deficit and post the fastest lap in Monaco.

As a result, the Dutch driver will start his race behind Norris, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and Lewis Hamilton. This is a huge blow for the four-time world champion, as the driver with the finest qualifying position often ends up winning the race.

As the Red Bull star concluded an underwhelming day, fans went online to share their reactions. Here are some reactions taken from the micro-blogging site X, formerly Twitter:

Reacting to Verstappen's result, a fan wrote, "Amazing job from my favorite driver Lando Norris. Warra bottle job from Max Verstappen."

"P5 at Monaco is not solid. Shocking," another fan wrote.

"Not sure what happened in sector 2 but he was horrible. Broadcast didn’t show it so i don’t know if he made a mistake or got impeded by somebody but p4 and even p3 looked achievable," a fan wrote.

Another fan wrote, "Have shame! Find Shame! Hopeless team! Don’t worry you still have 2 pit stops chances to fuck Max over even more! Because clearly giving him a tractor with no grip was not enough."

"Something happened on Max’s middle segment, lost time in a big way," a fan wrote.

"Really gutted. Let’s hope for some stuff happening tomorrow," another fan wrote.

Verstappen is currently third in the F1 standings, behind Norris and Piastri.

Max Verstappen cleared air on Lewis Hamilton impending him

Max Verstappen shared his thoughts after Lewis Hamilton impeded him during the 2025 Monaco GP qualifying. Speaking about the incident, here's what the Red Bull star said (via @simsgazette on X):

“I saw it immediately that the team told him I was on a slow lap when I was on a fast lap. It’s not Lewis’ fault. I already spoke to him about it. It’s the team’s mistake.”

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Notably, Hamilton impeded Max Verstappen during Q1, which hampered the latter's fast lap. However, a miscommunication by Ferrari seemingly caused the incident as the seven-time world champion unintentionally came in the way of Verstappen for a brief amount of time.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl