Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has acknowledged incidents such as those which have occurred three times in four races are part of having Max Verstappen onboard.
The Dutchman has come under growing criticism for his over-aggressive tendencies on track, whether that be in attack, such as versus Sebastian Vettel in China, or defence, with his movement under braking largely blamed for the collision with Daniel Ricciardo in Baku.
One argument many have made is despite still being only 20, Verstappen’s three-and-a-bit seasons in F1 should have taught him how to act but Marko considers it part of his approach to racing.
“We got Max because of his speed and his aggressiveness. Then you have to live with the fact that sometimes sparks fly,” he said to Germany’s Sport Bild.
However, after both drivers were taken out on Sunday in Azerbaijan, the Austrian has indicated measures would be taken if it happened again.
“At the next collision, we will have to do a team order, although we are actually against it,” he claimed.
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That message does seem to have resonated too, with Verstappen perhaps hinting at a calming down of his driving, at least against his teammate Ricciardo.
“Of course, we are going to talk with each other and I think you should just let us race,” he said.
“Racing between us does not have to change drastically, but perhaps we should both be a little less eager when we race each other.
“In my opinion, we can do that very well, but unfortunately this time it didn’t end well.”