Max Verstappen says he is confident Red Bull will stay ahead of Ferrari for a third consecutive race this weekend in Canada.
The teen Dutchman won in Barcelona and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo dominated almost all weekend in Monaco, despite Ferrari insisting it has not fallen behind Red Bull.
"In speed we are still ahead of Red Bull," SID news agency quotes Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel as insisting.
But as news broke that Verstappen will be the latest winner of the coveted Lorenzo Bandini award in July, the 18-year-old said Red Bull is heading confidently into the Montreal round.
"There are definitely opportunities for us," he told his official website verstappen.nl.
"Mercedes is still too strong, but we should be able to beat the Ferraris so I’m racing for a podium," added Verstappen.
In the wake of his Barcelona breakthrough, Max also said he learned a valuable lesson in Monaco, where crashes not only in qualifying but also the race earned criticism even from within Red Bull circles.
"Of course there was a bit of criticism but I think it’s good to share criticism," Verstappen said.
"In the end it just makes me better. If they only say ’it happens’ then I won’t learn a thing."