Max Verstappen’s X-rated outburst after Monaco GP ends in disaster on first lap
Red Bull ace Max Verstappen was forced to retire on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix after stalling on the grid in what proved to be a nightmare start.
Max Verstappen failed to accelerate off the line (Image: Sky Sports)
Max Verstappen was visibly frustrated in a heated outburst with his team after being hit by a mysterious issue during the Monaco Grand Prix, leaving him unable to get away cleanly from the start line. The Belgian stalled his car at the start and was eventually forced to retire from the race.
Over the team radio, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase instructed the four‑time world champion to bring his car back into the pit lane. It was a major blow for the Belgian, coming after Kimi Antonelli beat him to pole by just 0.043 seconds in qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton third and Charles Leclerc fourth. As Verstappen tried to launch off the line but failed, Leclerc swerved around his stationary car and Hamilton immediately moved up to second, with Leclerc settling into third behind him.
By the time Verstappen limped around to complete lap one, his race was already over in any meaningful sense. He was heard saying on the team radio at the start line: “Yep, nice. Completely **** guys, what the **** man?
During the lap, he asked: “What should I do?” The message was clear from the team: “Just bring it home please, Max.”
Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle didn’t hide his frustration at losing what could have been the most entertaining subplot of the afternoon. “I’m gutted about that,” he said.
“That was going to be so exciting watching Max trying to find a way through. He parked his car hard right and wasn’t thinking about Antonelli, he was thinking about the Ferraris.”
Verstappen climbing out of his car after retiring at Monaco (Image: Getty)
Speaking shortly afterwards, Verstappen said: “We knew the formation lap was not going very well. And then, after that, the pre-start was terrible and there was just no consistency. And then the engine just dropped out and I only got a little bit of power back after the first corner. But the engine sounded really awful, and so, yeah, I could not go full throttle. So I brought it back, and that was it.”
On the next race, he added: “It’s a completely different track, so it will actually be a good place to really see if we’ve made a proper step forward, or not. Because that track is all about high-speed and aero performance, so that will be an interesting weekend.”
Verstappen’s hopes of a first win of 2026 evaporated in an instant after qualifying second behind Mercedes driver Antonelli. He will now be looking ahead to the Barcelona Grand Prix next Sunday in hopes of securing a better result.
