A former star of the F1 grid has declared that reigning champion Max Verstappen could leave the sport for good as he faces a race ban.

After being handed three penalty points at the Spanish GP last time out, Verstappen is now just one point away from a single-race ban.

Two of those penalty points will expire on June 30, taking the pressure off the four-time champion slightly if he can make it past this weekend’s Canadian GP and the following race in Austria without earning any more.

As McLaren extends their lead in the constructors’ standings the focus will only continue to shift to whether Verstappen can drag his RB21 to the top of the standings again, but if he were to miss out on even just one race weekend, the chances of his retaining the title could become slim to none.