Max Verstappen was spotted boarding his yacht shortly after his first-lap DNF at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Dutchman quickly completed all of his media duties before heading onto his boat and back home ahead of everyone else on Sunday.
Verstappen’s Monaco GP ended 78 laps earlier than he would have liked on Sunday, as his engine lost power at the race start. Starting in P2, the 4x world champion bogged down and had dropped to 22nd and last by the second corner. He then limped back into the pit lane to retire the car due to an engine issue.
After his early DNF, Verstappen completed his media duties while the race was still in its early stages and even told the media that he was heading home early, as his house was only 500 meters away.
This was certainly not a joke from the Red Bull driver, as he was spotted boarding his yacht soon afterwards with his family and heading home. The moment was captured by bystanders around the harbor, with Verstappen seen stepping onto the boat before departing.
Max Verstappen’s early DNF paved the way for Lewis Hamilton to move into P2, while hometown hero Charles Leclerc also moved into the podium positions immediately at the start. But Leclerc’s race ended when he crashed into the barriers at the final corner during a safety car restart.
Behind them, both George Russell and Pierre Gasly also received penalties, opening the door for Isack Hadjar to claim his second podium of the year. However, the Frenchman is himself under investigation for a safety car infringement, meaning he could still lose the result to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen reflects on “really good weekend” that ended up in heartbreak at the Monaco GP
Max Verstappen explained that he enjoyed a “really good weekend” at the Monaco GP, right up until the race start when his RB22 bogged down. The driver added that the whole team is disappointed not to have finished on the podium in Monte Carlo this weekend.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Verstappen explained [via PlanetF1]:
“We had a really good weekend up until the race. Of course, everyone is very disappointed not to be on the podium.”
When asked if he was worried for his safety as he came to a stop at the start, Verstappen added:
“Yeah, I mean, I had no power, right? So I was steering left with the friction of the wheels at that speed. I was just praying that everyone would go right, but everyone luckily reacted very well.”
Max Verstappen also added that while he was disappointed and annoyed by his DNF, it was not quite as painful as it would have been had he been fighting for the drivers’ championship.
Edited by Samyak Sharma