Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has advised his driver Max Verstappen to take a step back and look at things in a bigger picture, as the Dutchman ran an unnecessary risk in Monaco in free practice which eventually cost him a potential pole and a win.
It really could have gone like that. Marko too admitted that Verstappen was the quickest since last Thursday, and he would've had a great opportunity to get his first ever pole position. Although he does also warn the youngster not to be too aggressive and too eager to always be the quickest.
"He [Max] has to take a step back," Marko told FormulaPassion.
"It's not important to be the fastest in every phase.
"You have to enter the depths of Max's psychology.
"On paper, he was the fastest since Thursday, because Ricciardo got on the track after him for his hot laps.
"Then, during his last Saturday morning run he was three tenths under his [Ricciardo's] time, but he found Sainz in the last sector.
"At that moment he should've lifted his foot, but probably in his mind to stay behind his teammate meant being slower than him.
"Max has to realize that it is not worth running these risks in a free practice session."
There's some truth in that. Max is used to being the quickest, so when he's being beaten by his teammate, even in a free practice session, Max feels the need to prove that he is the best. At some cost, as became apparent in Monaco.
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