Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko wrote a column following the Monaco Grand Prix, in which he expressed the team’s concerns and proposed measures to make racing on the city circuit more exciting.
The eighth round of the season took place at the Monte Carlo city circuit, where local hero Charles Leclerc was unparalleled. The Ferrari car literally floated over the curbs, putting Leclerc out of reach.
It was more difficult for us to attack the curbs – the car jumped up like a kangaroo. We were able to find relatively good settings for qualifying, so we could count on a front row seat at the start. But when you have a nervous car at your disposal, even a racer like Max can make mistakes.
In addition, he tried to drive the best possible first sector, as this was the only part of the circuit where we were ahead of the Ferrari. And Max did everything he could to minimize time loss in other sectors.
The problem was in the simulator, which showed that the car would attack curbs perfectly. Simply put: there is little correlation between the simulator and reality. And the Monaco circuit was not the first city circuit where we had a similar problem. The first problems, when the simulator data deviated from reality, started in Singapore.
We hope we can figure out why the simulator is producing data that isn’t true. But the next stage in Montreal could also be a difficult weekend for us.
Sergio Perez had a costly accident on the first lap, which cost us two to three million euros. This is of course a serious problem, as we can no longer spend this money on the development of the car. We also do not yet know what condition the gearbox and engine are in. An accident may result in additional fines if we exceed the permitted number of engines and gearboxes for the season.
Perez was on the racing line and Magnussen was too optimistic. We have no choice but to accept the risk of such accidents and be prepared to bear the costs.
Another accident on the first lap that caused discussion was the collision between Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. This has happened twice at Red Bull Racing: in 2018 with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen in Baku and with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in 2010 in Turkey.
In both cases we called the riders, discussed everything openly with them and made it clear that such collisions with teammates are unacceptable. Ricciardo left the team at the end of the season, but there were no more such incidents with Webber and they accepted that this was not to be.
In such situations it is difficult to take preventive measures because it must be proven that the driver had a clear intention to collide with his partner. And if a driver says he misjudged the situation, it means he didn’t do it on purpose. The problem for Alpine is that this isn’t the first time this has happened, and it makes their situation even more difficult.
After the red flags, the race in Monaco turned into a parade, but Formula 1 can no longer be imagined without Monaco. This circuit is as important as Ferrari. But something has to be done. The easiest way is to change the configuration – there are already plans and ideas.
Another option is to mandate two pit stops or use all three connections to introduce a strategic element to the race.
The new regulations in 2026 will make cars lighter and smaller, but this alone will not solve the problem. It is necessary to specify the number of mandatory pit stops, or to change the configuration of the track so that there is a real possibility of overtaking.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
