Bitter disappointment for Verstappen
The Monaco GP immediately lost a great protagonist. Max Verstappen had secured the front row in Qualifying, but at the start, he essentially didn’t move from his grid slot.
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After several seconds, the four-time world champion managed to restart his Red Bull RB22, but at the end of the first lap, he headed to the pits, retiring.
The Dutchman’s Monaco GP may have been compromised by a problem with the power unit, which has already forced Verstappen and Hadjar to retire multiple times at the start of 2026.
Verstappen is slow away from P2 on the grid! 😳
Here’s how the race start unfolded in Monaco! 👇#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/yxVElkRWoa
Read more Verstappen: “Horrible power unit noise, impossible to continue”
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 7, 2026
Not the start Max wanted at all! 😲
Onboard with Verstappen as he fails to make it off the grid here in Monaco ⬇️#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/wAWB8H37I9
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 7, 2026
Over the radio, Verstappen immediately complained to the team about what happened at the start, leaving no room for interpretations attributable to errors on his part.
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