Max Verstappen told F1 'sore spot' could lead to race ban

Max Verstappen has been told that his "sore spot" in F1 could trigger a race ban. 

After colliding with George Russell in the Spanish GP, Verstappen was handed three penalty points by the stewards, taking the world champion to 11, with 12 triggering an automatic one-race ban.

He raced under this threat in the Canadian and Austrian GPs, but escaped without penalty, with two points dropping off the day after his first-lap retirement in Austria.

However, the Dutchman remains on nine penalty points until October's Mexico City Grand Prix, meaning he is still at the greatest danger on the grid of a ban.

In the last year, Verstappen's ability to crack under pressure has been showcased multiple times, including in the 2024 race in Mexico when he received 20s of time penalties for forcing Lando Norris off track twice in a matter of seconds.

It is this weakness 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes could trigger the ignominy of a ban for Verstappen. 

"Everyone has a weakness, a sore spot," Villeneuve told the Red Flags podcast. 

"Max sometimes sees red and goes a little bit over-aggressive, and it is costly for him, and in modern racing, that means you get points on your licence.

"Now he's [three] points away from being banned for a race, and there is a chance it might happen, and he might race differently because of that.

"Russell knows that [sore] spot, but he's not in the same but he is not in the same game [as Verstappen]."