Max Verstappen wary of Mercedes threat at "normal" French GP layout

Red Bull

Verstappen wary of Mercedes threat at "normal" French GP layout

Mercedes will look to turn around its fortunes at Paul Ricard

Ewan Gale

Thursday 17 June 2021 08:00

Max Verstappen is expecting Mercedes and championship rival Lewis Hamilton to regain strength at this weekend's French Grand Prix.

The Dutchman missed out on the chance to extend his championship lead last time out in Baku when a tyre failure pitched him into the barriers with five laps remaining.

Hamilton remains behind in the standings but only by four points and Verstappen expects his rival to strike back at Paul Ricard.

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"I’m feeling good but I'm sure that Mercedes will be very strong on the 'normal' tracks again, so we have to keep pushing and keep improving right to the very end because it’s never enough," he said.

"So far the season has been pretty good to us but we need to remember that there are still a lot of races ahead of us.

"I am happy with the race results that we have had so far and that we are leading the championship, but we also have to be there leading it in Abu Dhabi, that’s all that matters."

Verstappen wary of tyre degradation

Verstappen was sceptical of Pirelli's investigation into his and Lance Stroll's tyre failures in Azerbaijan before the process had even begun, suggesting it would be pinned on debris, although Red Bull and Aston Martin have since been absolved of blame.

With high-speed corners making up much of the French venue, Verstappen expects tyre degradation to be a key part of proceedings.

"The Circuit Paul Ricard is a fast track. There are a fast few corners towards the end of the lap and you also have to be quite careful with tyre degradation," he added.

"There’s also a lot of runoff so sometimes it’s a bit weird because there is so much space, which is of course completely different than the two street circuits we’ve just been to.

"I’m looking forward to going back there and hopefully stepping on the top step of the podium."