Verstappen: We have to be competitive from the start

Three podiums in the first eight races was hardly the kind of start the Dutchman or his team wanted, but it has become a habit for the team to start poorly and evolve as seasons develop.

This year was the same thing with the first victory coming at the team's home Austrian Grand Prix, but that was Round 9 of the 22 round F1 World Championship. Up to that point, Mercedes had won all eight races with Lewis Hamilton bagging six and Valtteri Bottas the other two - no contest.

Speaking during the FIA Prize Giving Gala in Paris, Verstappen said, “For me it had to be the best year. That's just natural, I think, just the experience you gain over the years it definitely helps you a lot.

“The package this year, in the beginning, was a bit of a struggle. We couldn't really fight for victories. Podiums were also quite hard. So it was all about trying to be as consistent as we could be.

“We just hope that we can be more competitive next year. We know that we have to be competitive from the start and want to be able to fight for the title. We are putting all our efforts into that. It's not going to be easy, but we're going to go for it. We're going to try everything we can.

“I have one more year under contract but, I think what's more important is that we just see what happens at the beginning of the season and then from there onwards we'll see what happens.”

Indeed 2020 will be a crucial season for Red Bull and Honda to pool their resources to keep their star driver happy, and that is to provide him with a race-winning and title-challenging can.

The big question is: Can they? “Well, that's what I believe," insisted the 22-year-old, "That's why I'm with the team. I think, you know, they've shown in the past, they could do it. So it's not something which is just wishful thinking.

“It's not easy. You know that the competition is very strong. But like I said before, we're going to try everything next year, because it's going to be an important year, and then we'll see what happens," added Verstappen.

With much uncertainty surrounding the future of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, and particularly Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, Team Verstappen have been actively lobbying the sport's two biggest teams.

With Charles Leclerc set for life a long life at Ferrari, the pair in the same team would be utter chaos and potentially unmanageable.

While at Mercedes, Hamilton is entrenched there until he decides otherwise, and that otherwise is actually two highly unlikely scenarios, namely the world champ quits at the end of next season or he moves to Ferrari.

Nevertheless, when the already started 2020 Silly Season game of musical chairs plays out Verstappen is likely to be a key player, but if Honda rediscover the form of their heyday with McLaren, the Dutchman is unlikely to be looking around anymore.

On Friday night at the FIA Prize Giving gala in Paris, Verstappen received his prize for third place in the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship.

Max was also awarded the best overtaking move of the year, for his enthralling battle with Leclerc at Silverstone, which the Dutchman won.