Max Verstappen has stressed he doesn’t require an external challenge to extract his best level in Formula 1 amid the growing threat from Red Bull’s rivals this season.
Verstappen’s maiden F1 title triumph saw him go head-to-head with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton through a thrilling campaign that went down to the final lap.
However, Red Bull transpired to be dominant upon F1’s return to ground effect cars in 2022, with Verstappen winning 34 races in the previous two seasons combined.
But while Verstappen began the current season with four wins from the opening five races, both Ferrari and McLaren have managed to close the gap and pip Red Bull.
The Dutchman denied that he’s had to up his game in response to the increased competition, citing how extracting the maximum each weekend provides its own test.
“Well, this is always from the outside, it seems like there is no challenge,” he said at Imola. “I’m challenging every single weekend to try and get the most out of it.
“For me, it’s never boring, because I don’t need another team or another driver to give me that challenge.
“I’m in a constant challenge with myself to try and get the best out of things.
“It’s not like I’m missing something or that I’m waiting for something to come to suddenly feel more appreciation or more validation in what we are doing.”
Ferrari and McLaren’s renewed competitiveness has placed Red Bull under more intense pressure in recent races and seen glaring weaknesses begin to be exposed.
But Verstappen contended that Red Bull deserved credit for optimising each race during its record-breaking success last term to capitalise on its rivals’ shortcomings.
“Was it because we were doing everything right or people were doing things wrong, you know, or the other way around?” Verstappen queried.
“It’s always very difficult to tell, but of course, you always have to try and be on top of your game, but naturally that is not always the case.
“I mean, you can’t have every single weekend where everything goes perfect, that’s simply impossible.
“But you always try to be as close as you can be to that perfection. But sometimes it works out a bit better.
“In Miami it didn’t really work out that well, and naturally when other people are improving and making their cars look a bit more like ours, then yeah, they get a bit closer.”
