Verstappen hopeful of better racing in 2019

Max Verstappen says he is hoping the racing will be closer in 2019. The Dutchman sampled the new 2019 regulation changes for the first time during testing and says they may have a positive effect.

Speaking after his time in the car, Verstappen admitted that whilst things were looking good for the forthcoming season, he would still like to have more mechanical grip in an effort to close cars up during racing.

"If you had a bad qualifying session you knew that you would be able to move up through the field because you were able to overtake. Now you're just stuck and then not much happens anymore. It is what it is, but hopefully things will get better in the future."

"On the other hand, these cars are really great to drive during qualifying, if you see how much downforce is generated. At Spa or in Singapore qualifying is really fast paced and when it's bumpy, you get that sensation of speed even more."

Although Red Bull was limited in their running during the final day of testing due to Pierre Gasly's crash the day before, Verstappen also added that he felt the team had made a big step forward from last year.

"So far I think that we are looking good, but the championship is not won in Melbourne of course. We need to make sure that our performance is constant and don't have many drop outs.

"Hamilton only just won the championship after the summer break, so there is still a lot possible. If I had scored decently in the first six races last year, I would have been fighting for second place in the championship. If we can be a little bit better than last year overall, then there is more to gain."