Verstappen: Monaco will be a bit tougher

Verstappen was able to keep both McLarens in his wake during the Emilia Romagna GP, surviving Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car periods, as his RB21 appeared to be in a better performance window, keeping the tyres alive over the race distance, a trait that was attributed to McLaren's MCL39 up to now.

Red Bull Racing brought an upgrade package to their RB21 for Imola following the introduction of a new floor in Miami, and that seemed to have transformed the Milton Keynes' 2025 single-seater.

Verstappen insisted his performance in Imola was track-specific and is continuing to push this narrative as he now gears up for this weekend's Monaco GP.

"It was amazing to kick start the triple header with a win on Sunday in Imola," Verstappen said in Red Bull Racing's Monaco preview. "We made a lot of positive steps, I felt a lot more comfortable in the car and this puts us in a more positive position moving forward.

"We will need to keep pushing and not get ahead of ourselves as Monaco will be a bit tougher, with it being a street circuit," he warned. "It hasn't been our strongest track in the past, but we did make a step forward with the set up and we will try and do the best that we can.

"Again, qualifying is key here and we are reliant on strategy so it will be about getting a good result on Saturday and extracting the best possible performance of the car.

"It will also be nice to be close to home for this race, especially when it is such a hectic and busy weekend," Verstappen concluded.

Monaco is not going to be a happy hunting ground for Verstappen and Red Bull Racing as their car might struggle to deal with the riding of the kerbs around the principality, which is crucial for delivering a competitive lap time.

Verstappen is currently 22 points behind Oscar Piastri, who is leading the 2025 Formula 1 drivers' championship.