Max Verstappen insists his confidence remains high heading to the Monaco Grand Prix, a race he is yet to finish at.
In his two previous appearances, the Dutchman’s participation has ended in the barrier, whether it be his crash with Romain Grosjean in 2015 or losing control of his Red Bull on a drying track entering Massanet last year.
That particular weekend 12 months ago was especially deflating, following the high of his first Formula 1 win in Spain the race prior.
“Last year’s crash was very unfortunate but it doesn’t affect my confidence heading back there,” Verstappen said looking back, “it just makes me want to do better this year and learn from my mistakes.”
There is also a greater sense of anticipation ahead of this year’s ‘jewel in the crown’, with the new 2017 cars set to make the famous streets of Monte Carlo as difficult as they have ever been.
Considering his approach to the weekend, Verstappen commented: “Preparation for Monaco is a little different, you definitely build up a little bit slower throughout the weekend and pace yourself. It’s important to find the limit carefully.
“There is no such thing as a low-risk lap in Monaco, it doesn’t exist if you want to be fast because you have to be on the limit,” he added.
“With the new cars I think the chicane around the swimming pool will be the most challenging corner this year.”
Monaco is also likely to offer Red Bull their best chance to compete against Ferrari and Mercedes this season, after what has been an underwhelming first quarter of the year.
Considering the team’s chances, the 19-year-old said: “We still have a lot to learn from the car in terms of setup as it is always developing and we haven’t driven it on a tight street circuit yet.”