Verstappen 'needs a little bit of guidance' - Keke Rosberg

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Keke Rosberg says Max Verstappen "needs a little bit of guidance" in order to fulfil his potential in Formula One.

Verstappen has been one of the stars of the 2016 season since being promoted to Red Bull from Toro Rosso ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. The Dutch driver won in Barcelona and has secured six further podiums since that race, finishing the year fifth in the drivers' championship.

The 19-year-old has had a number of incidents with Nico Rosberg during the season, with contact between the two at the start in Mexico being followed by a stunning move from the Red Bull driver in Brazil.

The final race in Abu Dhabi saw Rosberg pull a strong move on Verstappen early in the race after getting held up by the Dutch driver - who had spun at Turn 1 - and Keke says Verstappen needs to be managed more closely.

"He sorted it out himself in the first corner, didn't he?" Rosberg Sr said when asked what he made of the fight between his son and Verstappen. "But maybe they will start educating him one day. He is a very talented guy but he needs a little bit of guidance. He is throwing away great results all the time. And F1 is all about results."

And Keke also believes it is important to ensure the drivers are enjoying the racing without letting the pressure become too great, after Nico revealed his father often sends him a message along the lines of 'pedal to the metal' each Saturday night before a race.

"It is a bit difficult because you have to say something, but what do you say? Don't spin at the first corner? You can't do that. So you try to keep spirits up and enjoy. It is a sport and it has to be enjoyed. The pressure should always be less than the enjoyment."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.