Max Verstappen questioned if he is 'smart enough' after disastrous Bahrain retirement

Former F1 driver Jans Lammer was taken aback by certain tactics from Max Verstappen in Bahrain before the reigning F1 world champion was forced to retire. The Bahrain Grand Prix certainly didn't disappoint with both Ferrari and Red Bull locked in a tense battle at the front for most of the race.

Charles Leclerc and Verstappen in particular were racing hard for the win as the Monaco native did everything he could to hold off the challenge from his rival. There was some epic wheel-to-wheel racing between the pair midway through the race after Verstappen tried to undercut Leclerc from the first round of pit stops.

The Dutchman then got another chance in the closing stages after a Safety Car was deployed after Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri caught fire. But Verstappen was complaining of issues in his car after pitting for fresh soft tyres with the Red Bull pit wall insisting there was nothing they could do.

Still, there was a chance for Verstappen to try and catch Leclerc at the restart and he opted to try and go up the inside of the Ferrari driver. His tactic failed to work though as Leclerc quickly raced off into the distance before it became clear that Verstappen would not be able to finish.

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But Lammers, who spent five years in F1 alongside driving in the World Sportscar Championship, couldn't understand why Verstappen chose to do what he did after the Safety Car came in.

"I'm not saying he's doing anything wrong, but you have to wonder if he was smart enough to go inside," Lammers said on NOS. "Leclerc was able to take the momentum into the last corner and Sainz was right in the neck of Verstappen, because he was able to take the corner normally."