Verstappen: Mercedes will come back strong in Baku

While the Dutchman romped to a dominant win in the Principality and took the championship lead in the process, Lewis Hamilton struggled to a seventh-place finish.

Valtteri Bottas also had a weekend to forget, losing a probable second place due to a pit stop issue.

Verstappen's margin over Hamilton is just four points after five races and he is clearly not getting carried away, stating that being on top at the end of the season is all that counts.

“Monaco was a very good weekend and of course I’ve never stood on the podium there before so it was very nice to get the win," he said. “Taking the lead in the championship feels good but we need to be there at the end of the final race, that’s all that matters."

Formula 1 returns to the Baku City Circuit this weekend for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a track that Verstappen admitted is not a "favourite" of his.

“I do expect Mercedes to come back strong," he added.

"The track is okay but probably not a favourite of mine if I’m honest. I’ve never been on the podium there so it’s time to change that. Let’s see how competitive we are.

"Where we are now feels good and of course it shows that we had a decent start to the year. But we have to keep on pushing because we still need to improve and do better.”