Briatore praises Verstappen speed but tells him to keep his mouth shut

Max Verstappen is certainly a driver that divides attention and the Dutchman has come in for a mixture of praise and criticism from Flavio Briatore. The Italian has praised Verstappen's speed but had some strong words in regards to what he says.

Verstappen had his best season in Formula 1, winning three races, in Austria, Germany and Brazil as well as claiming his maiden pole position. He finished third in the Drivers' Championship, only behind the Mercedes pair.

The Dutchman recently signed a new contract at Red Bull and Flavio Briatore believes the team are heading in the right direction.

"It is a team that is always on the right track," Briatore told Autosprint.

"But now that Honda is also a permanent force in the team, the uncertainty surrounding the power and reliability of the engine is also decreasing. However, Red Bull is also afraid of losing their partner after 2021.

"It's nice to see him at Red Bull, where he is at the top of the field and will now stay there for a long time. He drives really fast, he knows how to constantly improve himself and he often steals the show. 

Despite heaping the praise on Verstappen, Briatore fired a warning to Verstappen to keep his mouth shut.

"But Verstappen must also learn to keep his mouth shut. He could have left out the accusation that they cheated. First of all, it's not up to him to make those sorts of statements. Secondly, the whole story was totally inaccurate," he added.