Verstappen had Red Bull car rebuilt: 'A lot was changed'

Max Verstappen can look back on qualifying in Monaco with satisfaction. The Red Bull Racing driver recorded the second-fastest time in Q3 and stayed ahead of his Mercedes rivals. Lewis Hamilton will even start from 7th place on Sunday afternoon.

Saturday afternoon's performance is no doubt to the relief of Verstappen, who saw his team start the race weekend with difficulty on Thursday. Red Bull struggled to find the right balance and therefore decided to make a lot of changes to the car over the past few days, the Dutchman explained to De Telegraaf.

Verstappen argues that Red Bull started with the wrong set-up. "It didn't work as the team had thought, we had far too much understeer. The car was then completely rebuilt, a lot was changed," the Dutchman says. "Compliments to the team at the factory in Milton Keynes and the people here, who worked through on their 'day off' and analysed things."

Verstappen's experience with Red Bull

The driver himself also had a crucial role in the decisions. "I indicate where I think it's wrong, then they come up with ideas and I say, 'that sounds about right'. Meanwhile, I do have a fair amount of experience now, in terms of the things we've tried in the past. At the end of the day, a car changes aerodynamically a lot more over the years than it does in terms of mechanical parts. The changes have worked out well."