Max Verstappen stands at a fork in the road. One path leads to what he and many others who recognise a brilliant, irresistible talent regard as his manifest destiny of winning the world championship. Exactly what lies in the other direction - perhaps more wins but never the grand prize - is unclear, but Verstappen must turn away from the direction he's facing.
He's always been a lightning rod for criticism, but 2018 is the first time Verstappen has made a sustained run of errors that has blighted a campaign.
In Australia, frustration at being mugged by Kevin Magnussen at the first corner turned to impatience as he struggled to get back past. This led to a messy exit and running a kerb, picking up the floor damage that led to his later spin. In Bahrain he crashed in Q1 and then, in forcing Lewis Hamilton needlessly wide at the exit of Turn 1 after losing the corner, he hit the Mercedes and picked up terminal damage.