Verstappen: "That's only going to make it harder for Mercedes"

The Formula 1 season is off to a promising start for Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. Where the Dutchman in recent years often lost his rival Mercedes in the early stages of the season, this year is different. Verstappen will battle it out with Hamilton for the world title.

While Verstappen was second in the first race of the season, the driver won the race in Imola. As Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race and received a point for it, the Brit remains at the top of the standings for the time being. However, the lead is negligible, as places could easily be reversed in Portugal.

Verstappen hopes Sergio Perez can keep up with him more in the next few races so they can go up against Mercedes together. "I hope we can fight together against Mercedes," he told Sky Sports F1. "Because that's only going to make it harder for Mercedes. If you can put pressure on one car with two cars, it's always going to be more complicated for that one car."

Although Verstappen is partly dependent on Mercedes' performance, he is focusing solely on his own team for now. "In the end, we just have to make sure we have the fastest car always and everywhere. That way we don't have to worry about potential undercuts, we can just drive away from Mercedes."