Max Verstappen brengt merchandise uit ter ere van 'Franz Hermann'

An F1 legend has suggested that ‘intense’ talks have taken place between Max Verstappen and Red Bull regarding his approach to recent races.

Verstappen was involved in a controversial incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, which resulted in him being handed a 10-second time penalty.

On top of this, Verstappen was handed three penalty points on his licence for the collision with Russell, which placed him on the cusp of a one-race ban from the sport.

Accumulating 12 penalty points on your licence across a 12-month period triggers an automatic ban, and Verstappen is currently on 11.

The first of those points don’t expire until June 30, with the Dutchman having been handed two penalty points at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for causing a collision with Lando Norris.

It means that the Dutchman has to avoid picking up any more points at the 2025 Austrian GP to avoid a race ban, which would likely be fatal to his championship chances at this stage given his points deficit to Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings.

Now, Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested that being on the cusp of a ban will be altering his driving style, even though Verstappen suggested before the Canadian GP that it was not playing on his mind.

Speaking to CasinoHawks, who offer the latest online casinos, Montoya said: “Yes, the prospect of a ban is affecting how Max drives. The last thing Max needs right now is not to race. Max had the pace to maybe have a go at George, he was ahead of the McLaren.

“He was scoring points, and I’m pretty sure there was an intense conversation at Red Bull about how he needed to handle himself at the weekend. There’s no way they went business as usual.

Max Verstappen is lagging behind the McLaren drivers in the championship
“The conversation would have gone along the lines that publicly we’re raising as usual, but Max, we cannot afford any mistakes. We cannot afford to give up a driver’s championship because of a sanction. Just bring it home.

“He had a good start, but he never attacked, he never pushed. Normally, you see Max on the first lap being all out, and he wasn’t. He was very controlled emotionally in the way he managed the race.”

What would Red Bull do without Verstappen?

If Verstappen picks up a penalty point in Austria then he will be forced to miss the British GP, something that fellow Dutchman Jan Lammers recently suggested would not bother Verstappen.

However, it would certainly be a problem for Red Bull, with the Dutchman having collected 155 of the team’s 162 points so far in 2025.

Should Verstappen be given a ban for the British GP, GPFans understands that either Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar would be promoted up to partner Yuki Tsunoda, while Ayumu Iwasa would fill in at sister team Racing Bulls.

Verstappen will need to be on his best behaviour in Austria, and even more ‘intense’ conversations may be required ahead of next weekend’s race, with Christian Horner recently revealing that Red Bull’s sole focus is now on trying to secure Verstappen a record-equalling fifth consecutive title.