Monaco GP Exit
Max Verstappen Retires From Monaco GP on Lap One Due to Engine Failure, Losing Podium Chance
Max Verstappen’s Monaco Grand Prix ended almost immediately on June 7, 2026, when he failed to launch from his P2 grid spot and retired after one slow lap with zero points. Despite strong pace in practice and a promising second-place qualifying result behind Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen said the engine behaved strangely before the start and “dropped dead” as he let out the clutch, leaving the car with only limited power until the team told him to bring it back. With passing notoriously difficult at Monte Carlo and track position critical, the start-time failure turned what looked like a podium opportunity into an instant exit. Verstappen described the retirement as painful for everyone after a good weekend, and multiple reports also noted he went home mid-race after calling it a day. The DNF added to a tough stretch for Verstappen and Red Bull, marking a second retirement of the season after an earlier issue in China, and it came as he continues to criticize the sport’s hybrid engine rules and has hinted at quitting.
Key Points
Before the race failure, Verstappen had shown strong Monaco form: he was third in Friday practice (0.168s behind Lewis Hamilton) and Saturday he was just 0.043s behind pole/leader Kimi Antonelli in qualifying.
Verstappen’s Monaco background raised expectations—Red Bull noted he had won the race on the iconic street track in 2021 and 2023 and was seeking a third Monaco victory after qualifying second.
After retiring, Verstappen went home immediately; he reportedly summed it up as: “It’s only 500m, I’m going home,” and was later seen heading back from the circuit by boat to his Monaco apartment in Fontvieille.
Verstappen gave more technical detail to Sky Sports: he said “The formation lap wasn’t going very well,” the “pre-start was terrible,” there was “no consistency,” and after the first corner he only got “a little bit of power back,” before the engine “dropped dead.”
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