Max Verstappen won the 2021 Monaco GP but it was Serena Williams who stole the spotlight at the post race interview.
Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. The 40-year old has 23 Grand Slam Titles to her name, and has held the number 1 rank for 319 weeks in her career.
She was present at the 2021 Monaco GP, and got to wave the chequered flag at the end of the race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris in P2 and P3.
Verstappen arrived for the customary post-race interview. There he spoke about how winning in Monaco meant a lot to him, owing to history of this fabled street circuit. It was then that the attention of the cameras and the reporter went to Williams, who stood nearby. The reporter asked her to come into the frame, and asked her about her Monaco GP experience.
“It’s such an amazing Grand Prix,” Williams said. “It’s such a fantastic honor to be here as a fan, and see such incredible athletes.”
Serena Williams not in the position to advice Max Verstappen
Fans on social media were not happy about how Serena Williams came in the middle of a race winner’s interview. This wasn’t anger towards the tennis star, but towards the journalists who called her over.
However, the most bizarre part of the interview was when Williams was asked to give the Red Bull driver some ‘advice’. This was a question that even took the former by surprise.
Why was she interviewed?? She didn’t just win the gp Max did. Yet she was interviewed more than the guy who won in Monaco and is now leading the driver’s championship, both of which for the first time in his career!
— Jacob Washburn (@_jacobwashburn_) May 24, 2021
“I don’t think I’m in the position to give advice (to Verstappen) right now in this arena,” she replied. “But you know, good job to all the racers. I think everyone did really well.
This was a really weird situation for both Williams and Verstappen. It seemed evident that neither of them were prepared for this impromptu moment. It raised serious questions on why the podium finishers were not given the sole spotlight, as they usually are.
