Max Verstappen is hoping to “reset” the championship battle at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, the first race since the summer break.
Verstappen trails Lewis Hamilton by eight points at the top of the drivers’ championship after 11 races, with a collision between the two at Silverstone allowing Hamilton to close the gap, before a chaotic opening lap in Hungary saw him retake the lead.
Meanwhile, Mercedes hold a slight advantage of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
There remains plenty of time to go until the end of the season though and the Dutchman, who has claimed five wins this season already, can be hopeful of having a car more than capable of fighting for further victories.
Looking ahead, Verstappen said that Spa was one of his favourite circuits on the calendar, a sentiment echoed by former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, and described himself as “well prepared” for the challenge ahead.
“I am of course excited to go back to Spa,” he said. “It’s my favourite track and it’s really cool to drive with so many high speed corners and elevation changes.
“I’m also looking forward to seeing all the fans who will be coming to support us, and it will be cool to see so much orange in the grandstands again as they couldn’t be there last year. I also think it is a good place to reset our championship fight and I’m well prepared and feeling good ahead of the weekend,” Verstappen concluded.