Verstappen needs to 'change his brain', says Lauda

Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda has been discussing Max Verstappen's ongoing issues this season, and believes that the young Dutchman needs to 'change his brain' in order to find the correct mentality to achieve success in the sport over the longer term.

Verstappen has been involved in incident after incident so far this year, his latest being an aberration in Monaco that cost him his gearbox and meant he was forced to start the race from the back of the grid.

That followed on from his high-profile crash with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, and team bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have been forced to speak out regarding his conduct.

Horner said: "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."

The straight-talking Lauda was asked his opinion on Verstappen's recent misdemeanours, and feels that he has to alter how he thinks about the sport in order to succeed.

The Mercedes team chairman said to Bild: "What is the solution for him? Changing the brain.

"I would ask him 'How many times do you want to do the same thing?'

"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."

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Verstappen has been subdued after the Monaco GP, where he came from the back of the grid to finish in a respectable ninth position, but added that he felt the team was behind him.

He stated: "I have a team that is with me in good and bad times. A year ago we had many technical problems but we continued to work together. It's the same thing now.

We had the right strategy and I enjoyed the race. Considering I started last, this was the best result possible. Congrats to @danielricciardo on the win and the great job by @redbullracing ???? #keeppushing #MonacoGP #Monaco250 pic.twitter.com/zAlYJExewH — Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 27, 2018