A nightmare couple of hours for the Red Bull driver
Tuesday 11 December 2018 12:11, UK
Max Verstappen will start the Monaco GP at the back of the grid after Red Bull were forced to change his gearbox ahead of qualifying.
The team were already facing a race against time as they tried to repair Verstappen's car from his Practice Three crash, but discovered a gearbox issue minutes before the Monte Carlo shootout.
The problem meant Verstappen didn't get out on track at all, and he will now start Sunday's race, live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One at 2.10pm, at the back of the grid or even in the pit-lane.
Ricciardo storms to stunning pole
It was a nightmare couple of hours for Verstappen, who was looking like a serious pole contender but is now faced with the almighty challenge of coming through the field at F1's tightest circuit.
"Max has got the longest, most painful day ahead of him tomorrow," said Sky F1's Paul di Resta.
Earlier, the Dutchman crashed out in Practice Three after making an error through the swimming pool chicane.
Verstappen clipped the wall as he avoided a Renault through the high-speed section of the iconic street track, and then shunted into another barrier.
It was an almost-identical shunt to his 2016 Monaco incident and the fifth time he had crashed at F1's showpiece in four entries.
Daniel Ricciardo later sealed pole for Red Bull, and team boss Christian Horner confirmed that an oil leak ruined Verstappen's gearbox.
"This place bites hard if you abuse it," added Horner on Verstappen's crash. "Max is a very fast driver, we know that, and this weekend he has a great car. Nobody will be more frustrated than him.
"He should have been competing for the front row today. There is no more brutal lesson than what he has just had."
