Warning for Verstappen: 'It's tough talk, but on the limit'

"They obviously know much better than us from the sidelines, how worrying this possibly is," Lammers starts in the NOS F1 podcast about whether Red Bull is worried. According to the former Formula 1 driver, Mercedes simply has the faster car with the W12 since a few races after the summer break."Mercedes is in a good position in terms of equipment. The races Max has won before, Mercedes should have won. They dropped stitches there with, for example, the strategy."

Frustration or not?

Verstappen achieved his maximum performance by scoring nineteen points in Qatar last weekend. It will not cause much frustration, thinks Lammers. "Max is not someone who drives there in reaction to his opponents, or whatever. He is someone who is very creatively focused though, he is very concerned with what he is doing himself. He's a bit against the indifferent towards everything around him. He is very much into his own story. Max actually always steps out of his car satisfied with his own contribution."

More than a second place and the fastest lap of the day was therefore not in the cards."He knows he always gives 'maximum attack', so he just did what he could in this race as well. He knew there was no more in it and the difference between what this car can do and what he does with it, you can see in Perez of course. He's getting the maximum out of it. It's not really frustrating for him, it is what it is," he said.

Warning Verstappen

Yet Lammers feels Verstappen needs to watch his step. The Dutchman has visited the stewards several times in recent weeks and has also made his views known verbally. In Brazil, for example, he was given the black and white warning flag for swerving too much on the straight. Verstappen then told race-engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to send his regards to the race direction.

He also touched the rear wing of Hamilton's car and was given a grid penalty of several places in Qatar. Lammers doesn't think this is a good idea."He just poked the organisation in the eye. Of course that's all very well but it's on the limit. Because what if a situation arises in the last Grands Prix where they are in doubt about whether to give a penalty or not, or if they have to choose between a five or ten second penalty. What do you think it will be?"