Verstappen didn't test in an F1 car: ''I haven't suddenly lost it''

Max Verstappen will start as favorite at the Grand Prix of Austria. The Dutchman has shown what he can do in Austria over the past two years and hopes to compete for the world title this year.

''When you look at the test days in Barcelona, the feeling was positive for us. However, Mercedes is still the favorite and we have to see how the updates work. We'll have to wait and see where we are'', says Verstappen in a videoconference that included Motorsport.com.

If Red Bull Racing's car and Honda's engine are good enough, nothing stands in the way of a title, according to Verstappen. ''Then nothing more, but first we have to have the same material or preferably even better. We can continue to speculate now, but without a race we still don't know where we stand''.

Whereas the competitors of Verstappen have all driven an F1 car in recent weeks, this was not the case for Verstappen. He would otherwise have had to be quarantined and is of the opinion that it doesn't really matter. ''I've been driving for a couple of years, so it's not as if I've completely lost it'', says the Dutchman who will have to do it in 2020 without his huge fan base.

''You have to keep your mouth shut all day and there are no fans, but for the rest it's just the same as usual. I'm in the same meetings with the same engineers, so in principle that doesn't change much about the old situation'', concludes Verstappen, who acknowledges that he is acting a bit more cautious than before.