Max Verstappen Admits Imola Feat Hard to Repeat at Monaco GP

Max Verstappen has made it clear that Red Bull Racing could face a tough challenge at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. After delivering a strong drive to win at Imola’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18, 2025, Verstappen cautioned that Monaco’s unique demands may expose a key weakness in the team’s Formula 1 car.

At Imola, Verstappen started just behind polesitter Oscar Piastri but managed to get ahead at the start and never looked back. Red Bull showed strong tyre management throughout the race, while McLaren, seen as a main rival, struggled to match that pace over a full Grand Prix distance. Verstappen’s first laps were especially critical in setting the tone for the victory.

Despite this progress, Verstappen doubts that Red Bull will repeat their Imola heroics on the narrow streets of Monaco. The Monaco circuit is famous for its tight corners, bumpy surface, and tricky kerbs, as detailed in this FIA circuit guide.

Tyre wear is not usually a major issue here, especially with Pirelli’s softest C6 and C5 tyre compounds being used again. But Verstappen is concerned about Red Bull’s continued struggles with kerbs and bumps, something that affected his qualifying and race result here last year.

In the 2024 Monaco race, Verstappen only qualified sixth, finishing the race with the same result and behind cars from three different teams. Speaking this Thursday ahead of the Monaco weekend, he told Dutch reporters that Red Bull’s issues in slow corners and over uneven surfaces are still present in the new car.

Verstappen said that Imola gave the team helpful ideas about car improvements, but the Monaco layout is a different situation. He emphasized that a similar car setup won’t work, as it could leave the Red Bull bouncing around the track.

He believes McLaren has an edge at venues with mainly slow-speed corners. At Imola, Red Bull was still not the fastest in the slowest parts of the track, a problem likely to be magnified in Monaco’s street layout where almost every corner is taken at low speed, as explained in this MIT Motorsports analysis.

Despite winning at Imola, Verstappen does not think that the team made big steps over the winter to fix the car’s behavior over bumps and kerbs. He described the feeling in the car around the Monaco circuit as being much like last year and admitted that the situation has not changed in a big way.

The team continues to work on setup adjustments to help Verstappen handle the car better in these conditions, but he warned that it remains “not easy” to find gains. With practice set to begin Friday, Verstappen said he will wait to see how the car feels before making predictions about Red Bull’s chances.

He expects a difficult weekend, pointing out that Red Bull tends to perform better at tracks with high-speed corners, and Monaco offers almost none. So far in 2025, Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings after seven races, with Red Bull having won five of them.

The Monaco Grand Prix brings extra attention as one of Formula 1’s most famous events. Drivers must avoid mistakes and rely on car balance to safely navigate the twists and bumps. Analysis of the expected two-stop strategy at Monaco highlights how crucial pit timing and tyre management will be, as further discussed in this Pirelli Motorsport guide.

If Red Bull’s car setup issues persist, Verstappen’s chances at a third Monaco win could depend as much on strategy and luck as on outright pace. As Friday’s practice looms, Verstappen and Red Bull face questions that only the track can answer.