Max Verstappen Explains Why He Could Only Qualify Sixth at Monza

Max Verstappen could not hide his frustration after a troubled qualifying at Monza. The four time world champion, who aspired to fight for pole position at the Temple of Speed, had to settle for fifth place on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix. The problem, according to the driver himself, originated in the rear axle of his Red Bull: "On my first qualifying lap, I immediately detected a problem on the rear axle, something we have already had a lot of during the season" declared Verstappen at the end of the session.

The Dutchman had shown good pace during Saturday morning practice: "I think FP3 was quite decent for us, we made a big step forward overnight, but unfortunately when we went into qualifying, on my first lap, I immediately detected a problem on the rear axle" he explained.

The failure had a direct impact on the car's behavior: "The car is no longer good over the kerbs, over the bumps, and that costs performance on a track where everything is very tight" he added.

Despite the setback, Verstappen managed to position himself less than three tenths off pole position, surprisingly achieved by Pierre Gasly. The Dutchman was also disadvantaged by not having a slipstream on his final Q3 attempt. However, the Red Bull driver was optimistic about Sunday's race, as long as the team can solve the problem: "If we can fix it, then yes, I think the car will be in a better window. Is it enough for the podium? I don't know, we would like to race with a car that is at 100%, that would be nice" he assured.

Verstappen's teammate, Liam Lawson, who continues to substitute for the injured Isack Hadjar, also did not have an easy day. The New Zealander failed to get into Q3 and qualified in thirteenth position, although his weekend was already compromised by the power unit change penalty that will make him start from the back of the grid.

Lawson explained that his focus in qualifying was not purely on single lap performance, but on preparing for the race: "The weekend overall has been focused on the race because we knew we were going to have the penalty, it's not ideal, we didn't put much focus on pure single lap speed" he declared. The New Zealander was also affected by traffic, including an obstruction by Oscar Piastri at the first chicane that prevented him from advancing: "I spent all of qualifying in clean air until that last lap, so I hadn't even driven behind a car before, it wasn't ideal" he lamented.

Monza qualifying left a bittersweet taste in the Red Bull garage. Verstappen, despite the technical problem, achieved an acceptable result, but his podium chances depend on the team's ability to resolve the failure. Lawson, for his part, will face the race with the sole mission of gaining experience and helping the team as much as possible. Sunday's race promises to be a challenge for the Austrian team.

Monza qualifying left Red Bull with more questions than answers. Verstappen trusts that the team can solve the rear axle problem for the race, while Lawson will seek to gain experience from the back. Tomorrow will deliver the verdict on the Austrian team's true chances.