Verstappen's confidence is high: 'He knows he can do it'.

Max Verstappen is preparing for the second half of the season that is already approaching this weekend. In Belgium he hopes to fight for victory again. Lawrence Barretto expects Verstappen to do well again, the journalist wrote on Formula1.com.

The reigning world champion started the season with a difficult start, suffering two retirements in the first three races. Charles Leclerc was able to create a gap in the rankings, but during the rest of the first half of the season Verstappen was able to overtake him by a wide margin. The Dutchman's confidence is therefore high.

"Verstappen’s raw talent and confident approach in wheel-to-wheel battling has been evident since the moment he first raced an F1 car for Toro Rosso back in 2015," Barretto stated. "But last year’s world title success has added another string to an already fearsome bow."

"He doesn’t need to prove himself anymore. He knows he can do it. His rivals know he can do it. And that has seen him race smarter and harness his incredible speed into an even more potent weapon."

Verstappen has world title in hand

The journalist doesn't think Verstappen will have a hard time of it. While he expects the race weekends in Mexico and Brazil to be tricky for the team, he believes the driver will already have clinched the world title by then. It will therefore be mainly important to finish almost all races.