Max Verstappen believes that Red Bull was wrong to drop Liam Lawson after just two races.

Following his nightmare debut for the Austrian team in Melbourne, where he crashed out, the New Zealander finished twelfth in China, at which point he was unceremonially dropped in favour of Yuki Tsunoda.

At the time of the move Verstappen admitted his unease with the decision to drop Lawson so early, and now the Dutchman has doubled down on his initial feeling.

"Two races next to one team-mate, I didn't agree with that at the time," he tells Viaplay in his end of season review. "In the end, you ruin someone's chances with a top team," he adds.

"I think Lawson has recovered well," he said of the kiwi, who has retained his seat at Racing Bulls. "He could have thought: 'Never mind, the fun is gone'."

In truth, Tsunoda fared little better in terms of performance, but was left in the second car for the remainder of the season. Out-qualified by Verstappen 22-0, the popular Japanese driver contributed 30 points to the Austrian outfit's tally, compared to his teammate's 421.

As was the case with previous incumbents of the second Red Bull, the struggle to perform was put down to the car being designed around the team's star driver, however, Verstappen, who clearly had his own struggles with the car this season, insists that this was not the issue.

"They try to use my set-up," he says. "But in the end, every driver has his own driving style.

"At some point, of course, you grow together," he says of his teammate, "especially in the second half of the season. We often drove according to the same philosophy, but I had a little more understeer than Yuki.

"In any case, two races is far too early to make a judgement," he adds, in reference to Lawson.

The Dutchman also expressed sadness at the struggles of his former nemesis, Lewis Hamilton, who, in all honesty, appears to have never rediscovered his mojo following that controversial night in Abu Dhabi in December 2021.

"It hasn't been a good season for him, of course," he says. "You can tell from everything, like the onboard radio.

"To be honest, for me too," replies the four-time world champion, when it is suggested that it hurts to see Hamilton struggling in this way. "I don't like seeing that. I don't know about quitting. He won't give up, so he'll definitely be there. But it's not nice to see."

Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are both in their forties, but Verstappen admits that it is unlikely that he will still be racing in F1 at that age.

"I think what you miss most is more the physical discomforts," he says of the prospect of racing in his forties. "You suffer more from things.

"These cars aren't the most comfortable to drive anyway," he admits. "And when you're older, you naturally suffer more. Your shoulder, your back, your neck. I think it takes a bit more effort to keep everything in shape. So that's something you have to focus on a lot more.

"Personally, I think that when I'm 40, 44, I won't be the same as I am now, maybe not in terms of motivation either. And if you're not in a top car, then definitely not. I think if Fernando were in a top car then, like in 2023, you know, then he could compete for a podium. Then you see the fighter come out again. But when you've been world champion twice... and you've already won a lot... and you're driving for P10... then you think why am I doing this?"