Max Verstappen retires from Monaco Grand Prix after suffering nightmare start to race

Yet Verstappen experienced difficulties right from the start, with his Red Bull car stalling.

After pulling into the pits, the Dutchman then opted to retire from the race - while he was also heard complaining about his engine.

Reacting to the incident, Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle expressed his dismay.

"I'm gutted about that. That was going to be so exciting watching Max trying to find a way through," he said.

"He parked his car hard right and wasn't thinking about Antonelli, he was thinking about the Ferraris."

Verstappen noted that an engine failure may have contributed to his woes, though Red Bull will provide clarity later in the day.

It has been a truly difficult season for the 28-year-old, who has struggled ever since new regulations were brought in at the beginning of the campaign.

He entered the day sitting seventh in the standings, with Antonelli, Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri all ahead of him.

Now, he's set to fall further behind after one of the worst days of his racing career.

Amid his anger, Verstappen has also regularly suggested that he could even retire from Formula One altogether.

He was impressive in qualifying on Saturday, however, battling his way to fifth.

Speaking after that session, Verstappen had said: “If you would’ve told me yesterday [that I would] be on the front row, I definitely would’ve taken it.

“Also [in final practice] this morning, I think we had some difficulties with the car, so heading into Qualifying and being up there I think was extremely positive.

“Overall, of course, I’m very happy with how Qualifying went, how all the laps went, even though I had to deal with all the traffic and the walls.”

When asked about driving F1's new cars around the streets of Monte Carlo, he added: “They are more on edge than the last few years, and also with the power that kicks in, driveability and shifts are all a bit different.

“Once you get on top of it and get a clean lap out of it, especially in qualifying you’re flat-out and on the limit, it’s very rewarding when it goes well.”

“Let’s see in the start – these cars are quite complicated to start.

“I have two cars behind me that start quite well, but we’ll see. This was a good day, and I definitely enjoyed it in Qualifying.”