Verstappen: "There are tracks coming where Mercedes may have the edge"

Verstappen doesn't want to dwell on results for too long

"We've started the season off really well and of course I'm very happy about that, but we have to keep on pushing," the Dutchman said in a Red Bull Racing press release. "We can't just be thinking about our results so far. It's going to be really tight and a challenge for the rest of the year but that is what makes it exciting."

He continued: "We were for sure ahead in Austria and our car was very good there but in France, we only won with a few laps to go, so the championship is very close and maybe even closer than the points show at the moment. There are some tough tracks coming up where Mercedes may have the edge on us but we have a great team and we are doing everything we can to try and stay ahead."

Unlike some of his colleagues, Verstappen is not negative towards the introduction of sprint racing. "I'm very open about trying the sprint races and I quite like that we have a bit less practice before we head into qualifying, but let's just wait, it's difficult to say anything about it until we've tested it this weekend. Every race you take risks but controlled risks, especially when you are fighting for a championship, but this one race isn't going to define the end result," said the Red Bull driver.