OMNISPORT

Nico Rosberg says Max Verstappen must change his mentality if he is to challenge for titles, and the Red Bull driver acknowledges he cannot afford any more slip-ups.

A late crash during FP3 on Saturday caused gearbox damage that ruled Verstappen out of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix and forced him to start from the back of the grid on Sunday. The 20-year-old produced a mature display to work his way up to ninth and avoid incident, though he went close to missing a chicane on an overtake of Carlos Sainz Jr that he just about made stick.

Still, former world champion Rosberg thinks Red Bull are in danger of coming to the end of their tether with regards to Verstappen.

"They have to be running out of patience, that's clear. I just hope he'll start to really think about it and he needs to change his approach, it's too much and it's costing him so much," Rosberg told Sky Sports. "I hope that he'll learn and he'll have to if he wants to win a world championship ever, he has to now start learning."

Verstappen is yet to get through a grand prix this season unscathed, a crash with teammate Daniel Ricciardo - who triumphed in Monaco - at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix proving the low point. However, Verstappen knows he needs to be more reliable on track and opted for a more reserved approach in the principality.

"I was enjoying myself out there. Starting last I got two places from the start and from there onwards we just tried to get past. Sometimes it was easier than others," he said. "I think we had the right strategy because we stayed out and tried to lengthen that first stint. We maximized that result and we couldn't have done more starting last.

"I just didn't want to go too risky and have a crash. I cannot be in that position now. I think I did everything within a certain margin. If I'd taken a bit of a risk I wouldn't have got past the guys in front of me."