Max Verstappen backed for further 'risks' despite shock race ban threat

Max Verstappen has been backed to continue taking "risks" despite a significant threat of a race ban, with former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer not expecting his driving style to change.

The four-time world champion is just a single penalty point away from a race ban, with his current tally of 11 not set to reduce until after the Austrian Grand Prix. 

It means Verstappen must navigate the upcoming races in Canada and Austria without causing an incident worthy of a penalty point, to avoid becoming just the second driver to receive a race ban.

He received three penalty for driving into George Russell at Turn 5 in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, whilst a 10-second time penalty also demoted him to 10th. 

His title bid against the McLaren drivers is quickly disappearing, adding to the reasons why a race ban would be hugely costly for the 27-year-old. 

Palmer does not expect Verstappen to race any differently to his normal style in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, although does think a repeat of the Russell incident will not happen.

"I still don't think he's going to change his approach," Palmer said on the F1 Nation podcast. "I still think he has one way of racing, and it is to throw everything at it and see what sticks. 

"And a lot of the time it sticks and it's won him some grand prix this year as well, when he probably otherwise wouldn't have. Imola, for example, going around the outside at the first corner. He's a driver that just gives it everything. 

"[He] risks more than the others, probably, and I don't see it changing. The Barcelona one is obviously, it's a different scenario, that's not racing. He's had red mist, hasn't he? He's lost his cool rather than misjudged a racing move. 

"But in terms of actually what he's going to do on the track, I don't think he'll do that again. But I think I see him racing the same way, still firing in lunges, still trying to hang on around the outside if he possibly can. And will claim foul, will push, he'll push the limits in every way."