Lewis Hamilton favourite for 2018 F1 championship
With two retirements in the first four races, rising Dutch star Max Verstappen suffered a poor start to the 2018 season. But the Red Bull driver has fought back to bag three podiums in the last four races.
In an interview ahead of the race in Austria, the 20-year-old discussed his prospects of winning, favourite for the 2018 title and his competition with Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Excerpts:
Your pick for the title – Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton?
Hamilton. At the end of the day the rate of development at Mercedes is a bit better than at Ferrari in terms of the car. Both are very good drivers, so if they have best material each, they can both win. Vettel has shown (that) in the past. It is up to which team develops fastest.
How would you rate your season?
Challenging initially but good now. I am of course very happy with that because I have to catch up with others in points. Plus it gives me good motivation every single weekend to try and get the best out of it.
NEW DELHI:
Your driving has been criticised...
Not affected. I have had way tougher times in my life when I was younger. It is just a part of F1. You have to deal with it.
How do you see your competition with teammate Ricciardo?
It is going well. We have the speed so I am not worried about that. We have driven away a good amount of points in the beginning of the season. I could have scored more but in terms of raw pace, it is looking good.
Which races provide Red Bull the best chance this season?
Hungary, Singapore, Mexico.