(Motorsport-Total.com) – Kimi Antonelli not only celebrated his fifth consecutive Formula 1 victory at the Monaco Grand Prix but also impressed Red Bull. Team principal Laurent Mekies spoke after the race of a surprisingly strong performance by the Mercedes driver. Due to Max Verstappen’s early retirement, it remains open whether the four-time world champion could have kept up at all.
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“Kimi was gone,” Mekies said after the race. “Hats off to Kimi. I think he surprised us all by being so fast here in only his second year.”
Antonelli had already shown his class on Saturday, securing pole position with a strong qualifying performance. In the battle for the best starting position, he prevailed against Verstappen on the narrow street circuit of Monaco with a lead of just 0.043 seconds – the cornerstone for his later success.
Could Max Verstappen have kept up?
While Antonelli controlled the race from the front, Verstappen’s Grand Prix was practically over in the early stages. The Dutchman struggled with engine problems immediately after the start and had to retire prematurely.
For Mekies, it is therefore impossible to judge whether Verstappen could have put pressure on the Mercedes driver and fought for victory later in the race.
Photos: F1: Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo) 2026
“I think he showed today that what he achieved yesterday in qualifying was not a single magical lap, but that he has a really strong race pace,” explains the Red Bull team principal. “Whether Max could have matched that pace or not, we will never know.”
Verstappen already impresses in qualifying
Despite missing out on pole, Mekies also views his driver’s performance extremely positively. Verstappen was even faster than Antonelli in the first two qualifying segments and, in Mekies’ opinion, showed an exceptionally high level.
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“The level at which Max drove in qualifying, not just in one lap, but already in Q2 and in both attempts in Q3, was very impressive,” says the Red Bull team principal. “We know that you get that extra Max effect every time you manage to give Max a good feeling in the car. That’s why I would have liked to see what he could have done in the race.”
Red Bull “found the optimum” on Saturday to make Verstappen competitive on the streets of Monaco. The retirement on race Sunday was all the more bitter.
Engine problem costs Verstappen every chance
Verstappen himself drew a mixed conclusion. Although it had been “a really good weekend until the race,” disappointment prevailed after the retirement.
“I was disappointed not to be on the podium on Sunday,” explained the Dutchman. “We just have to make sure we finish the races. First, however, we need to understand what went wrong today.”
According to Mekies, Red Bull has now identified the cause. The team principal confirms that an engine defect was responsible for the early retirement.
“We can only apologize to Max, because the work he did together with the team to achieve this pace in Monaco was outstanding. It’s probably still too early to talk about the solution, but we believe we have found the root cause of the problem.”
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