Verstappen ready for battle with Ferrari: 'Our car better in the race'

Max Verstappen will be hoping for a repeat of last year in Spain. At that time he also started from second place but managed to outbreak Lewis Hamilton at the first corner to take the lead in the race. On tactics, he ended up losing the race to the seven-time world champion and that is what Red Bull Racing will want to be sharper on now with the threat of Charles Leclerc. 

In The Build Up of Formula 1, the Dutchman looks ahead to the race and what might happen. The reigning world champion is happy to see that the grandstands in Barcelona are completely full again. "It's amazing to see, it's really crowded again. It's a nice warm day, so hopefully we can have a great race."

Car repaired and ready for the race

The temperature will be very important, because at 35 degrees it is very hot. The tires will probably have a tough time on the Spanish circuit and Pirelli expects a two-stop to be the minimum in the race. Moreover, a three-stopper is not excluded and is even considered the alternative strategy.

For Verstappen, the tires will not be the only concern. In qualifying, his DRS didn't cooperate in the final run in Q3, giving him no chance to improve his time. "Hopefully the DRS will be fixed. I think our car normally in the race should be a little bit better. Of course there are still some unknowns, but I do think we have a good shot," the Dutchman concluded.