Verstappen addresses the fans ahead of Austria Grand Prix: 'Always special'

"It's always fantastic to see so much orange and such a great atmosphere," Verstappen said during the parade. The Dutchman was briefly allowed to take a seat in front of his own grandstand, which is completely coloured orange. "I still expect it to be a tough race with the degradation, it's quite hot today. We really have to look after the tyres, and hopefully, with the balance that we found yesterday in qualifying, we can replicate it today if we can do that. I'm confident that we can have a strong result.," he said.

Verstappen also joked briefly about McLaren, which also wears the orange colour. "They in the stands have the good orange, the one behind me is ugly," the three-time World Champion said with a wink. He then addressed the many fans at the Red Bull Ring: "It is a very special Grand Prix. Always where I want to do well, naturally. And we want to win today. Hopefully, it will be a good day for us."

The start of the Austrian Grand Prix is at 14:00 BST.

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy