Max Verstappen aware "nobody is ever perfect" ahead of championship lead defence

Verstappen, Baku, 2019 — Photo: © LAT Images

Red Bull

Verstappen aware "nobody is ever perfect" ahead of championship lead defence

Red Bull leads the championship for the first time since 2013

Sam Hall

Tuesday 1 June 2021 14:12

Max Verstappen has warned "nobody is ever perfect" in F1 and expects the championship picture to continue changing until the end of the season.

By taking victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen climbed to the summit of the points table for the first time in his F1 career despite having just two wins to his name compared to Lewis Hamilton's three.

The Monaco race highlighted the heavy price of even the smallest of errors with rivals Mercedes losing a seemingly certain second place when a machined wheel nut ended Valtteri Bottas' race and Hamilton dropping down the order with a failed undercut attempt.

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Commenting on his championship position, Verstappen said: "Where we are now feels good and of course it shows that we had a decent start to the year but we have to keep on pushing because we still need to improve and do better.

"Nobody is ever perfect or standing still in this sport. So far we have made the smallest mistakes but nothing major and that is why we are first at the moment but we all know it can change very quickly."

Verstappen draws Monaco parallels

Prior to his win on the Monaco streets, Verstappen had never finished inside the top three at the Principality with his previous best result a fourth place scored in 2019.

Similarly, the Dutchman has not yet stood on the Baku podium although, also in 2019, he finished fourth.

"I'd never stood on the podium there before so it was very nice to get the win," he said.

"Taking the lead in the championship feels good but we need to be there at the end of the final race, that’s all that matters."

Verstappen added: "The track is ok but probably not a favourite of mine if I’m honest. I’ve never been on the podium there so it’s time to change that.

"Let’s see how competitive we are, I do expect Mercedes to come back strong there though."