Lauda Calls for Verstappen to Change his Style

After a string of crashes a number of Formula 1 pundits say that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen needs a change of approach to succeed.

The Dutchman was forced to miss qualifying at Monaco after a practice crash. Which was yet another of his many crashes in 2018.

“His talent is envied by every driver. But he needs to act more calmly. He needs a little more patience and then he will succeed,” said former F1 driver Felipe Massa.

Unsurprisingly, the Red Bull bosses were furious. However, team principal Christian Horner admitted that the 20-year old was the most upset.

“He’s a very fast driver, we all know that, and this weekend he has a very fast car. What happened is a cruel lesson. It doesn’t get much worse than that.

He needs to learn and stop making mistakes. He knows it better than anyone. I hope this incident will convince him to change his approach. I don’t know what else will,” he said.

2016 world champion Nico Rosberg said, “He was faster than Daniel Ricciardo and then he crashed at the dumbest moment. He had an almost identical crash in 2016. I wonder if Max is too confident – risking too much. If you’re doing that, there is no track that bites you in the ass more than Monaco,” the German added.

“He hasn’t seemed to learn at all. It’s already the fifth time this year but it’s his fourth season in formula one. You can’t really says it’s inexperience.

It’s a very dark moment for Max. At the moment everything is going wrong for him but I don’t have much hope for him anymore,”.

But Mercedes’ Niki Lauda was the harshest critic. “What is the solution for him? Changing the brain,”.

Lauda said that if he were in Helmut Marko’s place, he would ask him ‘How many times do you want to do the same thing?’

The Austrian legend continued “First, Dr Marko has to tell him this (crash) is not possible while at the same time defending him outwardly. It’s a difficult balancing act and I know it’s not easy.”