Verstappen on angry radio calls: When I’m not upset anymore, I’m not interested

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko had revealed how a psychologist was helping Yuki Tsunoda, of sister team AlphaTauri, who “explodes on the radio, you wouldn’t believe it”.

Verstappen, whose own radio messages to Red Bull colleagues can be fractious, said that he has never used a psychologist but will not stop showing emotion while driving.

“I didn’t work with anyone but, over the years, you look back at what you could have done better,” he said ahead of the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

“It doesn’t help the whole team if you come in upset after a practice session because it makes everyone nervous.

“I still get a bit upset on the radio. It doesn’t influence my performance. But, if things don’t go well, if something is badly executed, then I have a problem.

“When the day comes that I am not upset about these things anymore, then I won’t be interested in the sport anymore.

“It is because I care that I sometimes get upset at these things.

“It is not influencing my performance in the race.

“Some people are more calm, some are more explosive.”

'Our problem child is Tsunoda!'

Verstappen was forced to settle for seventh at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone last week when a piece of debris from Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri became lodged in his Red Bull.

Marko, the Red Bull consultant, has since said to Servus TV about Tsunoda: “We have organised a kind of psychologist to work with him, because he continued to rant in the corners, so that inhibits performance.

“We should keep our emotions in check. Thank God Max is calm, our problem child in this respect, not only in this respect, is Tsunoda. He explodes on the radio, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Tsunoda revealed that he has always worked with a psychologist: “He was part of the reason I was able to step up to Formula 1. He helped me develop my performance in terms of consistency.”

The Japanese driver has a new psychologist provided by Red Bull and he said: “He has to understand more about myself and what direction we take.

“Definitely I get overheated, especially in my brain! In these situations he can make me better. I know that I have to improve myself.”

Sainz: 'Find the balance between agitated and calm'

Carlos Sainz, who won his first race at the 150th attempt at Silverstone last week, added: “If there is something I have learned, it is finding the balance between being agitated and calm. It comes with experience.

“In my first years in F1 I was too calm and didn’t make my point, or too excited and make no sense.”

Kevin Magnussen added: “There is emotion. You get annoyed, excited.

“If there is stuff that you can improve on, why not try, by speaking to people in the team or friends or a psychologist.

“I can get angry, of course.

“I am a more emotional person inside the car than outside of the car.”

Esteban Ocon said: “It is not easy to stay level-headed in the car because, in these moments, you can lose everything or win everything.

“People react differently. The most important thing for us is to perform under these pressures.”