Verstappen looking to stay clean

Driving errors have hurt 20-year-old Dutchman

MONACO — Max Verstappen is struggling to keep his Formula One season on track.

The 20-year-old Dutch driver finished last season so well that there was talk he could challenge for the F1 title this year. But so far he is drawing attention to himself for his mistakes more than anything else.

So far Verstappen has one podium heading into today’s Monaco Grand Prix — the sixth race of the season. He has already failed to finish two of them, and will now start today from the back of the grid following another high-profile incident.

Verstappen didn’t even make it into qualifying because he shunted his Red Bull into the barriers toward the end of the third and final practice earlier Saturday. He was topping the leaderboard and under no pressure, yet made an error eight minutes from the end of P3.

Veering out of the swimming pool section next to the famed harbor, he slid across the track and slammed into the barriers.

“I got a little bit caught off guard passing, which isn’t an excuse,” Verstappen said. “It happened so quickly after getting a bit distracted and perhaps I turned in a bit too early. Like in China, this was my mistake.”

Red Bull could not repair the badly damaged right side of his car in time for qualifying. The team also had to change his gearbox because of an unexpected leak — meaning a five-place penalty, made irrelevant by the fact he is starting last. By contrast, his teammate Daniel Ricciardo starts on the pole.

“We need to push it but we don’t need to overdrive it,” Ricciardo said on Verstappen’s crash. “Just hit your marks and keep it clean.”