Verstappen impresses: 'Surprises me how well he copes in title fight'

Verstappen has a clear goal

Verstappen leads the Formula 1 standings after eight races, having already taken four victories. The last few races have been particularly good, with Red Bull Racing taking four in a row, including three for Verstappen. The Dutchman can therefore be found in a good mood in and around the paddock.

"I spoke to Max, and Max is very confident. It was an almost perfect weekend for him last time out. There wasn't much more he could have done to have improved his performance around here. He's on a different level to the Max I've seen before. There's just a calmness to him and he is just taking it all in his stride," said Buxton.

Enjoyment comes later for Verstappen

The reporter wondered if Verstappen can also enjoy the fact that he is finally driving a championship-worthy car. ''He is very focused on the work part of it and just giving everything. I said 'does that mean you can't quite enjoy having this brilliant car, a car you know you can win races in every weekend' and he said that enjoyment is 'overrated'. He said 'I'm going to do the work now. Get to the end of the season and then I can look back and enjoy it, and when I retire I can look back on it and really enjoy it."

''That's quite a mature approach,'' Barretto said. ''What really surprises me is how well he is coping with being in the thick of a championship fight. He's never had that before in his career, but he's handling it incredibly well," concludes the Formula1.com reporter.