Verstappen admits 'unfinished business' after Monaco GP heartbreak

This year, Verstappen has repeatedly voiced his frustration with the new F1 rules and has struggled since the start of the season. Despite the various setbacks, there have been moments of hope, when he was able to secure a front-row lockout in Miami and at the recent Monaco qualifying. Moreover, he also secured his first podium of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix. Speaking of Hadjar, he has had mixed reactions to the new generation cars, but has been pretty open about his challenges with RB22. This season, he experienced two DNFs but had a productive weekend in Monaco as he qualified fifth.

While the Red Bull developments were evident on several occasions, struggles continued to resurface for both drivers. At Monaco, while Verstappen retired after the formation lap, Hadjar raised his frustration throughout the race around the car and power issues, as was evident in his radio exchanges. Though the challenges continued across the 78 laps and with a threat of a penalty, he cruised the car to the podium and later was cleared of investigation.

In a recent conversation, Hadjar described his first podium in Monaco as a "special moment". He further reflected on the achievement with the team and the improvements they've made so far. He elaborated, "The podiums we’ve earned as a Team over the last few races show the progress we’re making and are a great reward for all the hard work going on behind the scenes. We know there’s still a lot of work to do and plenty to improve if we want to keep fighting at the front consistently."

Expressing his expectations from Barcelona, he added, "Returning to Barcelona after testing should provide a nice reference point going into this weekend, and a good chance to see how we've progressed," he continued. Hadjar currently stands 8th in the drivers' standings, a place below his teammate, Verstappen.

The four-time world champion expressed his disappointment over his result in Monaco, following an overall good weekend. However, he does feel there's "unfinished business" as the season heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

He added, "Barcelona is a completely different circuit, with the high-speed turns, long corners and the long straight and it will be a good test and interesting to see if we have made a good step forward. I have so many special memories in Barcelona, especially as I got my first win here ten years ago. It was of course a goal I wanted to achieve and to get this on my first race with the Team was really special. So I am excited to be back here and racing again."

During Monaco, the Dutchman completed the formation lap, but as the lights went out, he struggled to move his car from the grid as the others around him passed away. He asked on the radio what he was about to do now, as the team instructed him to bring the car back home. Although he was able to move the car, he brought it into the pits and retired it.

Last year, Barcelona was won by Oscar Piastri, followed by his teammate Lando Norris. Verstappen finished in 10th place, following the controversial collision with George Russell, which took the paddock by storm. He was handed a 10-second time penalty for the incident, pulling him from fifth to 10th place.