Verstappen: Hopefully orange outnumbers red!

Max Verstappen hopes for another sea of orange at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, but concedes that Red Bull will struggle to compete at Monza. Perhaps no driver has been as well-backed as the Dutchman over the European leg of the 2018 season, with orange-clad fans filling stands at races across the continent.

The races in Austria, where Verstappen won, and Belgium, close to where he was born, were particular hotbeds of Verstappen support.

A previously dwindling crowd in Germany was boosted by the Verstappen support and it may be hoped that the Oranje Army will be back to give Monza a similar leg-up.

The 'Temple of Speed' does not play into the hands of the high-downforce Red Bull, but Verstappen hopes to send his fans home happy regardless.

"Monza is fast, very fast. This makes it great fun but at the same time not ideal for us and our car," he said.

"It is an old school track, one of the few left, so racing somewhere with such history is quite special and I always look forward to going back there.

"The highlights of the circuit for me are the last chicane, Ascari, and the final corner, Curva Parabolica.

"To nail the last corner is not easy but when you do it feels really nice. I have been to Milan a few times but only for business so I haven't had the chance to look around, but it goes without saying that the food is some of the best.

"The Italian fans will be out in force as always supporting Ferrari, they are very passionate and really good to see. Hopefully the orange crowd will rival the red this year."