Max Verstappen spoke with his father Jos after he complained about the tactics used by Red Bull which helped Sergio Perez to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
The result was a good one for the team, with Perez taking the victory ahead of Carlos Sainz while Verstappen finished third to score better than Charles Leclerc. It meant the Dutchman extended his lead at the top of the drivers' table, while Red Bull outscored Ferrari in their quest for constructors' championship success.
But that wasn't enough for retired racer Jos Verstappen, who felt his offspring should have been given more of a chance to win for himself. In a column he admitted that he was "not entirely objective", but still bemoaned the fact the defending world champion had played second fiddle to his team-mate.
"Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time exerted little influence to help Max to the front," wrote the 50-year-old, who did not win a race in his own F1 career. "That he finished third, he owes to Ferrari's mistake at that second stop of Charles Leclerc.
"The championship leader, Max, was not helped in that sense by the chosen strategy. It turned completely to Checo's favour. That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader. I would have liked them to go for Max, but of course I am not entirely objective. I think 10 points from Max have been thrown away here."
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen revealed that he has spoken with his father about the subject. While the team might not have taken too kindly to the criticism, the younger Dutchman defended his father's opinion and reaction to the result.
"As my father wrote, he is not completely objective," the Red Bull ace told reporters. "He just wants to see me win. It's his opinion. I also told my dad that Sunday's events were a result of Saturday, when that red flag ruined my qualifying. That was the biggest problem, because in Monaco you can't overtake. Fine, that was one race, we'll just move on now."
After taking the lead in both championships, Red Bull are favoured to increase their advantage this weekend in Baku. The unique street circuit's layout favours a low-downforce set-up, which the Milton Keynes outfit are used to running on many occasions anyway.
For Ferrari, the race is a chance to retake control of the title race after letting slip of the early-season advantage they gave themselves. After victories for Leclerc in two of the first three races, the Italian team have watched as Red Bull won the next four in a row and find themselves 36 points behind in the team standings.
