Max Verstappen jokes about remarkable advantage of potential Monaco crash

Max Verstappen has joked that crashing into the barriers outside his Monaco home during this weekend's grand prix would at least get him back to his residence quickly.

The Dutchman has lived in the Principality since the end of 2015, making the Monaco Grand Prix something of a home race for the four-time F1 drivers' champion.

As he drives the Circuit de Monaco over the coming days, the Red Bull driver will quite literally pass his own front door.

When asked whether he might find a moment to wave at his home during the race, Verstappen was noncommittal before allowing himself a grin at the unique circumstances.

"I don't know, I haven't thought about that yet," he said to Dutch media, including RacingNews365. "Hopefully, I don't park it in the wall on the other side. Then I'd be home in no time."

Despite the personal connection to the venue, Verstappen admitted that the round in Monte Carlo does not carry particular extra significance for him.

"It doesn't really matter that much to me," the 71-time grand prix winner explained. "I see it mainly as a race where you can take 25 points, especially because I've already won it.

"I can imagine that when you win it for the first time, it is a really beautiful one."

Verstappen has won in Monaco twice and knows the streets of the Principality well, though he remains broadly unmoved by the occasion.

"I'm not really a fan of street circuits," he admitted. "In that respect, it will never come close [to the Nürburgring Nordschleife]. The qualifying session is, of course, the highlight of the weekend."

When asked whether he could make a difference on a circuit where driver input tends to matter more than at most other venues, the 28-year-old was measured in his assessment.

"If you feel comfortable in the car, then of course [you can make a difference]. But I don't know yet whether I will feel that way here," he concluded.