Max Verstappen Hilariously Compares Monaco GP Rule To Mario Kart

Formula 1’s classic Monaco Grand Prix is often criticized for running processional races, where passing is virtually impossible and grid position effectively decides ultimate positions. To introduce some thrill to the 2025 edition, F1 and the FIA introduced a compulsory two-pitstop challenge, with three distinct tyre compounds that drivers needed to complete.

But after a race that had involved tactical pushing, strategic backing off, and scant real wheel-to-wheel competition, three-time World Champion Max Verstappen was unhappy. Rather, he likened the whole experience to a crazy game of Mario Kart—bananas and all.

The Two-Stop Rule: A Brash Gamble With Uninspiring Rewards

The two-stop requirement was a reaction to the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, where an early red flag enabled most drivers to race on a sole tyre set and have no position changes in the top 10. Not to see the same parade happen in 2025, the FIA asked teams to perform at least two pit stops and employ three tyre compounds, with the hope the extra strategy layer would mix up the order.

In practice, the regulation encouraged innovative thinking and boldness, and it did have some unconventional plans. Races like Racing Bulls and Williams employed the rule in their favor by getting one car to drive deliberately slowly to close the gap for their teammates, effectively engineering point finishes as a team. That might look clever on a strategy board, but the on-track effect was more defensive driving than aggressive overtaking. Drivers were playing chess on a close, aggressive circuit that still offered no legitimate racing opportunities.

Even Red Bull and Max Verstappen tried to play the odds. He left his last pit stop as late as possible, on the penultimate lap, hoping for a late red flag to allow him to pit under neutral conditions and then go on to win. It was a long shot, and didn’t work out in the end—but with passing impossible, it was the only gimmick he had left.

Max Verstappen: ‘We Were Almost Doing Mario Kart’

Max Verstappen wasn’t shy in his post-race interview, calling the new format “almost Mario Kart” and questioning its impact. Speaking with Sky F1, he said, “You can’t race here anyway, so it doesn’t matter what you do. One stop, 10 stops. Even at the end, I was ahead, but my tyres were completely knackered, and you can’t even pass yet.” His frustration was clear—not just with the rules, but with Monaco itself as a modern F1 circuit.

His Mario Kart analogy was a snipe at the artificiality of the race, where teams are playing with tyre windows and gaps rather than actual racing. Max Verstappen even joked they could just as well “throw bananas around” or apply slippery paint if F1 was going down this route. It was classic Max Verstappen —sarcastic, uncompromising, and candid—but also an echo of growing vocal concerns from drivers that gimmicks won’t fix what is ultimately a circuit problem.

Max Verstappen also noted that Red Bull simply was not fast enough in the bumps and kerbs of Monte Carlo’s streets. Max Verstappen qualified seven-tenths behind pole sitter Lando Norris and was fourth on the grid following a penalty for Lewis Hamilton, but admitted that was the best they could do. “I don’t think we had the pace anyway to fight the guys ahead,” he admitted. “Every time I tried to keep up with them, my tyres were wearing and graining slightly too much.”

Final Thoughts

F1’s bold Monaco two-stop experiment failed to provide the racing revolution everybody was predicting. While it provided strategic drama, it also continued manipulation at the cost of real competition. Max Verstappen’s Mario Kart comparison could have been meant as sarcasm, but it struck a chord with the fans and the drivers. In considering future changes to spice up Monaco, F1 may need more than an adjustment in tyre rules—it may need a rethink on the entire weekend format.