Verstappen admits that Red Bull might need to 'get lucky' to score Monaco Grand Prix podium

Max Verstappen has admitted that he is aiming for a podium finish in the Monaco Grand Prix. Still, he acknowledges that it will likely require a bit of luck. The Dutchman finished fifth in today’s Monte Carlo qualifying session but will move up to fourth on the grid due to Lewis Hamilton’s penalty. 

Verstappen finished with a 1.10.669 while polesitter Lando Norris set a record-breaking time of 1.09.954. When asked by GPblog if he could have been closer to the Brit, the Dutchman stated that there were opportunities to be: ‘’I could have been a little bit closer I think, but again we just didn't have the grip. So when you don't have the grip, you can't fully extract everything out of it," he said, thinking realistically. "So then it doesn't matter if it's 3 tenths, 4 tenths, 7 tenths, you're just not fast enough," the four-time world champion stated.

Of course, no points are scored in qualifying and there will be opportunities for Verstappen to move forward in the race. With the introduction of the mandatory two-stop rule, anything could happen. Once again, the defending champion kept his expectations realistic. ‘’I don't know. I mean, in the race no one really drives flat out so we might need to get lucky with a strategy call but we also know that normally it's quite a long race, but with two stops it might make it a little bit more interesting."

Lewis Hamilton was deemed to have impeded his former championship rival during the session and was penalised by the stewards. Hamilton will now start in seventh. Although Verstappen was frustrated on the radio at the time of the incident, the pair had a friendly conversation in the pit lane to draw a line on the moment.