Max Verstappen has said that he is confident Red Bull will stay ahead of Ferrari for a third consecutive race this weekend in Canada.
The teen Dutchman won in Barcelona and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo dominated almost all weekend in Monaco, despite Ferrari insisting that they have not fallen behind Red Bull.
"In speed we are still ahead of Red Bull," SID news agency quotes Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel as saying.
However, as news broke that Verstappen will be the latest winner of the coveted Lorenzo Bandini award in July, the 18-year-old said that Red Bull is heading confidently into the Montreal round.
"There are definitely opportunities for us," he told his official website.
"Mercedes is still too strong, but we should be able to beat the Ferraris so I'm racing for a podium."
In the wake of his Barcelona breakthrough, Verstappen also said that he learned a valuable lesson in Monaco, where crashes not only in qualifying but also the race earned criticism even from within Red Bull circles.
"Of course there was a bit of criticism but I think it's good to share criticism," Verstappen said.
"In the end it just makes me better. If they only say 'it happens' then I won't learn a thing."
Verstappen sits sixth in the driver standings ahead of the Montreal race.
