Max: ‘You have to accept when it is not your weekend’

Max Verstappen was pragmatic after missing out on victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, accepting it was not his weekend in Monte Carlo.

The reigning World Champion extended his lead in this season’s standings by taking third place behind Carlos Sainz and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

Verstappen had generally been slightly slower than the Mexican all weekend in Monaco, with Nico Rosberg believing the Red Bull driver had looked uncomfortable in his car since Friday practice.

The Dutchman said himself he had not had the grip he desired from the front of his Red Bull through the weekend and was accepting of where he had ended up on Sunday, acknowledging you cannot win them all – despite having won every race he had finished this season until this weekend.

“I didn’t have a great feeling in the car initially but it’s also still a new car and very different to set up than the old cars,” Verstappen told Sky F1 after the chequered flag.

Sergio Perez's win in Monaco puts him just six points behind Charles Leclerc and 15 behind World Championship leader Max Verstappen #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/lWbSO6qY9s

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) May 29, 2022

“I like a lot of front grip, which I don’t really have at the moment – well, sometimes, and around here front grip is very important.

“But I think we recovered well and you have to accept sometimes when it is not your weekend. You know when you fight for the championship you always have to score points.”

Verstappen had been fourth on the road for much of the race with both Ferrari drivers having been out in front in the early stages in extremely slippery conditions.

But Perez had a bold call to move onto intermediate tyres earlier than the Ferrari pair and his team-mate, which had the