Verstappen shares key to beating Antonelli in Monaco GP: 'That normally works best'

The Red Bull driver came close to securing pole position yesterday before ultimately losing out to the championship leader, who once again delivered a superb qualifying performance while comfortably outperforming his teammate. All things considered, however, second place still puts Verstappen in a position to fight for victory, even knowing that overtaking in Monaco is always extremely difficult.

Asked what the key is to mastering a track that leaves no room for error like Monaco, the Dutchman replied bluntly: "Try not to overthink it too much. That normally works best."

Speaking about his goals for the race, the four-time world champion said he would focus on making the best possible start, while stressing that Monaco remains a long and unpredictable race where many things can still happen: "We'll see, I'll try to do the best start we can. And after that, it's anyway a very long race where a lot can happen."

Speaking after qualifying, Verstappen admitted he would have gladly accepted a front-row start had it been offered to him on Friday, especially after Red Bull encountered several setup issues during final practice that made such a result look unlikely: "If you would have told me yesterday to be on the front row, I would have definitely taken it. This morning we had quite some difficulties with the car so heading into qualifying and being up there was extremely positive."

The Dutchman also expressed satisfaction with how qualifying unfolded, highlighting the challenge of putting together clean laps around Monaco while dealing with traffic and the ever-present threat of the barriers. He added that securing a place on the front row leaves him in a strong position heading into the race.

Antonelli instead acknowledged that the drivers around him will be putting him under pressure throughout the race, particularly given the strength of those starting nearby on the grid. The Italian said his priority will be to make a strong getaway, having already seen improvements in that area in Canada, while recognising that Monaco presents a very different challenge. He also stressed the importance of having solid race pace in reserve, warning that tyre degradation could prove more significant than currently expected.