Verstappen states that things are not automatic at Red Bull: 'Working hard'

"The first five races were not as straightforward as some people tried to make it out," Verstappen said. "It's always about the details. It's always about attention to detail where you make differences, and some weekends were a bit better than others. I do think already from the start of the year the other teams are closer compared to last year. We had quite a good start to the year where we did quite a lot of things right. Of course, we had a DNF which cost us a lot of points, but I do expect this season to be closer in general than last year."

Verstappen pulls out all the stops

Red Bull Racing have been picking up pole positions and wins frequently, but that does not mean that Verstappen and everyone working for the Austrian racing stable are sitting back. Every session and every hour of the day is used and they work hard to be as competitive as possible.

"It seems like there is no challenge from the outside. I'm challenging every single weekend to try and get the most out of it. For me it's never boring, because I don't need another team or another driver to give me that challenge. I'm in a constant challenge with myself to try and get the best out of things. It's not like I'm missing something or that I'm waiting for something to come to suddenly feel more appreciation or more validation than what we're doing," said Verstappen.