Max Verstappen expects a tougher battle this weekend

A week after dominating Lewis Hamilton and winning the Styrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen expects more competition this weekend in front of the many spectators expected at the Red Bull Ring.

« I expect it to be a tougher fight. There are no guarantees in this sport and we have to keep improving. Of course, it’s just nice in general to see many fans again (60,000 expected spectators), I think everyone missed it. It just creates an atmosphere that we are all looking forward to this weekend. », he said on Thursday.

With a range of softer tires and a high risk of rain, the outlook for this weekend could be totally different. In addition, the Dutchman expects teams to learn from their mistakes of last week in order to avoid repeating them today.

« This weekend was very pleasant, but it is not a guarantee that it will happen again, you know. We need to make sure that now, with the softer compounds, we have a good car again with a good balance and of course people learn from their mistakes from last week. »

The Red Bull driver also stated that if he won the race, he would celebrate his victory safely and made a joke about last week’s finish.

« I’ll try to make a donut next time », he joked, before acknowledging that his action could have been dangerous, « Okay, I won’t do it again, but at the time, I thought it was really fun and safe, but I understand that they don’t want it to happen again ».