Max Verstappen has played down suggestions his crash to earth in Monaco a fortnight ago has ramped up the pressure of his recent move to Red Bull.
After winning on his team debut in Barcelona, the 18-year-old Dutchman then had an awful weekend in Monaco with two high-profile crashes, just as teammate Daniel Ricciardo stepped up his already sensational recent form.
"In Monaco it was not as positive a weekend but we must move forward," Verstappen told the Spanish broadcaster Movistar.
"We start again here in Canada. I haven’t thought much about what happened in Monaco but we will try to do better next year. Sometimes you have ups and downs — it’s part of the learning process.
"More pressure? I don’t think so. I feel quite comfortable. I’m enjoying what I do," he insisted.
Verstappen explained that, notwithstanding his Barcelona win, it will take him some time to fully adjust to the Red Bull car, having switched mid-season from Toro Rosso.
But he said that even though he crashed twice in Monaco, he is not now afraid of coming unstuck against Montreal’s fabled ’Wall of Champions’.
"Whether you race for eighth, second or first, you always attack," said Verstappen. "I will not hold back."
He said he is particularly happy he will have Renault’s new-spec engine this weekend, after only Ricciardo enjoyed its extra power in Monaco.
"That will help a lot," Verstappen is quoted by the Dutch publication Formule1.