Max Verstappen receives unusual praise after key Red Bull decision

Max Verstappen has drawn unusual praise for his decision to overrule Red Bull and forge a different direction at the Italian GP.

Last time out, Verstappen opted for an uber-low downforce set-up at Monza to secure pole and the win with the fastest single lap in F1 history, and then converted that in the fastest-ever F1 race, in terms of average speed.

Red Bull's engineers wanted to go with a higher downforce set-up, but Verstappen got his way, something former IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe felt was important as Verstappen asserted himself in new areas within the team.

"The number one thing that the whole team was talking about afterwards was trusting their race driver," Hinchcliffe explained.

"So much of what happens in a Formula 1 team and development comes from what the computers tell you, what the sensors and the simulation tell you.

"Max had a different opinion, and Laurent, being of an engineering mind, said: 'All right, let's listen to the best sensor we have." That is Max Verstappen. 

"He said: "Look, I can make it work with a low-downforce setup. The team, the engineers wanted, the simulations wanted higher downforce than what they wanted.

"He put it on pole and he won the race, running away. 

"He is such a key asset, and it is really interesting that Max is having a greater influence in engineering, and that's possibly down to the relationship with Laurent as well."