Kovalainen: 'Verstappen could have been more aggressive in Bahrain'

Max Verstappen is known for his aggressive way of racing. It makes him feared by his colleagues and loved by a lot of fans. Yet in Bahrain, Heikki Kovalainen also saw a different side of the Dutchman.

Former F1 driver Kovalainen felt that Verstappen could have reacted more aggressively after both overtakes on Charles Leclerc. Instead, the Monegasque took the lead right back each time. "I think he could have crossed to the other side more aggressively and pushed Charles away or hit him," the Finn told talkSPORT.

Kovalainen fel that such an action would potentially be penalised by the race committee, but that has never stopped Verstappen from taking risky actions in the past. So now he didn't. "It wasn't as aggressive as in the past. Maybe that's part of the learning process with Max."

In the end, Verstappen did not manage to finish the first race in Bahrain. Leclerc won and is thus proudly in the lead of the world championship. It seems that both drivers will again decide who wins this weekend.