Verstappen happy with teammate: 'I hope Perez can keep me on my toes’

Max Verstappen will get a new teammate next season with Sergio Perez and the Dutchman seems to be happy with that. The hope is that he will have more to gain from the Mexican than from Pierre Gasly or Alexander Albon.

Verstappen was somewhat the third wheel this season and actually has to compete against the mighty Mercedes on his own. Albon was rarely involved. The Dutchman is hopeful. "It's more that we have a second car which is capable of being up there the whole race, trying to put a bit of pressure," said Verstappen to Sky Sports.

Verstappen hopes that with the arrival of Perez, the team's performance will improve. "I don't think it's going to change anything to my performance, I just hope that Checo will be the one to, first of all, push the whole team forward, but also to keep me on my toes, which is always nice to have a teammate pushing you, it's exciting.”

In general, the expectation is that Red Bull Racing with Verstappen and Perez will have a very strong duo, so it only depends on one thing. "Hopefully we can, with a bit more of a competitive car at the start, make it just a bit more interesting and difficult for them [Mercedes] to make decisions.”