Verstappen wants first place or nothing against Hamilton

Max Verstappen says he will take little satisfaction from the 2019 season if he overhauls Valtteri Bottas to finish second in the drivers' championship behind Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen will resume after the summer break looking to continue his fine form from the last four races, which saw him take two victories and a podium, with another likely second-place finish taken from him after crashing with Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone.

Verstappen finished fourth last season and looks to improve once again on his best season, but says it will mean nothing given he

"For me it's all about the first place," Verstappen told De Telegraaf. "When I think back to my career in 20 years, I really will not be proud that I have become vice-world champion.

"I just don't care. It is only about the top spot. Maybe other people think differently, but for me only the win counts."

Verstappen's two victories this year put the Dutchman in confident mood ahead of next season – his last chance to deliver Dr Helmut Marko's wish for him to become F1's youngest world champion.

"We must not forget that I also won in Austria because Mercedes was struggling with cooling problems. That of course helped.

"But anyway, I won twice. That is better than we had expected at some point in the season. We are still making good strides, but it needs to be just that little bit better.

"It definitely looks positive towards next year, but the others are not sitting still either, are they?

"We really have to work hard to close the gap. So far I am satisfied with the progress we have made.

"Also with Honda I think there is still a lot to be gained. Certainly if you look now at the mutual relationship in the first year. Once you are well aligned, there is clear potential in it. The most important thing now is that we constantly perform and connect."

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