Verstappen: Overtaking in F1 ruined

Max Verstappen says overtaking has been ruined by the aerodynamic changes Formula 1 made ahead of the 2017 season. Regarded as one of the most fearless passers on the grid, Red Bull star Verstappen says the fun has been taken out of the sport in recent years.

Botched overtakes have been the hallmark of Verstappen's 2018, his Bahrain Grand Prix ended after contact with Lewis Hamilton before clumsy manoeuvres on Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel cost him a potential victory and then podium in China.

Verstappen's desperation may be driven by his frustration with the difficult nature of modern-day overtaking - only five passes were recorded at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"It was a lot more fun in 2016," the Dutchman told his official website. "You could follow each other better and, in some way, it was more gratifying.

"Since 2017 it's a lot harder and less fun to really race each other.

"The breaking distance is shorter and it's just very hard to follow each other The car can also make unexpected movements and suddenly break out."

Verstappen's errors have cost him points in each race so far this year, but Red Bull's race-winning potential was proven by Daniel Ricciardo's victory in Shanghai last time out.

Asked to sum up his season, a tongue-in-cheek Verstappen said: "Super, haha! As far as results not that great, but the car is okay.

"We are still a bit short in qualifying, but in the races, it's looking good. So far, due to various reasons, we haven't achieved the results we wanted, but now I'm looking forward to Baku.

"I think we can have a good race there, and there are still eighteen races to come, so hopefully we will do well."