Verstappen "would never say" if he was struggling mentally

Max Verstappen has explained he would never voice his insecurities as he does not understand why anyone would say they are weak.

The 22-year-old had been enjoying his most consistent season in Formula 1 with a run of six successive podiums prior to Sunday's Italian Grand Prix in which he retired with a power unit issue.

Off track, Verstappen has made clear he has no desire to openly discuss mental health and insecurities as he feels this would offer an opportunity his rivals could exploit.

"No, absolutely not," said the Dutchman when asked if would do so.

"Even if you have one, I would never say so. Also, weaknesses, why would you say you’re weak even if you have one, why would you explain that? So no, I would never say those kinds of things."

Team-mate Alex Albon, meanwhile, is being forced to contend with an outside pressure as he has so far struggled to extract as much performance out of his RB16 as his team-mate.

The 24-year-old has often been criticised, particularly as the man he replaced at Red Bull in Pierre Gasly is having a stellar season with AlphaTauri, culminating in his maiden win at Monza.

Albon believes, however, there is a straightforward solution to ignoring the comments online and on social media.

"I’d say it’s quite simple – just to stop looking at your phone," asserted Albon. "Put away your phone.

"In the end, you’re the only one who can really make the change. Obviously, all these comments, they’re there but they can’t really control anything I can. So it’s very much like you understand it or you see it.

"I just see it as an opinion, that’s great, but I train to be better and that’s where I’m focusing."

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