Verstappen sets clear goal for himself and Red Bull as F1 season resumes at Zandvoort

Max Verstappen has stated that he and Red Bull are fully focused on “doing the same thing” as F1 returns to action at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend – with both the driver and team looking to continue their winning runs.

Verstappen arrives on home soil having won the last eight races on the bounce, meaning he can draw level with Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record of nine if he triumphs again around the tight, twisty Zandvoort circuit.

LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the build-up ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend

Red Bull, meanwhile, are pushing to extend their run of 13 successive race wins, stretching back to last year’s Abu Dhabi season finale, having recently surpassed McLaren’s previous record of 11 from the 1988 campaign.

After a “pretty relaxed” summer break that involved “sleeping a lot” and spending time with family, Verstappen shared some insight into how he and the Milton Keynes operation will be approaching the second half of 2023.

“Just try to keep on doing the same thing – that would be nice,” said the reigning double world champion. “But, of course, after a break, you never know how you get back into things.

“Also [with] the track, and the weather that is forecast, I think it’s always a bit more tricky. We’ll see. We have a quick car, but it’s again about putting everything together to have a really strong weekend.”

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Verstappen was then asked about Red Bull’s chances of maintaining their 100% victory record in the races to come, to which he replied: “Honestly, I don’t think we really think about it too much.

“We just want to look ahead and try to always bring the best possible car to the track. I think everyone is always trying to prepare in that way.

“Of course, we want to win here, there’s no secret about that. It’s one of my favourite places to be, and to win is… It’s always very special here, so for sure that’s the target for the weekend.”

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Prior to the weekend, Red Bull sit 256 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors’ standings, while Verstappen is 125 up on team mate Sergio Perez in the drivers’.