Verstappen: F1 title is 'only goal' for Red Bull in 2020

©RedBull

40

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing will be focused on just one goal when the delayed 2020 season kicks off in Austria next month: the F1 world championship title!

In the past few years, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has typically endured a slow start to its campaigns before it built up strength and fought for race wins at the start of the summer.

But the team's performance in pre-season testing at Barcelona last winter suggested that it would hit the ground running in Australia.

Verstappen forks out $1.75 million for Ferrari ride!

Alas, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the 2020 F1 season, with the sport's chiefs forced to rebuild a new schedule that will kick off at the Red Bull Ring on July 5. And Verstappen is raring to go.

"I’m feeling good and I’m feeling ready. You would hope so after such a long break, but it’s really exciting to get started again," he told F1 veteran David Coulthard in an interview for Dutch website Carnext.com.

"As a team, our expectations are to win. We want to go for the championship, that’s our only goal.

"Everybody is very motivated, so I’m looking forward to get started and see where we are."

Red Bull and Verstappen's win in Austria last year following an epic battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc bodes well for the pair's prospects at Spielberg where the mighty Mercedes squad has struggled in the past.

And a double-dose of an all-conquering Max Verstappen in Austria would perhaps set up the 22-year-old to become the sport's youngest F1 world champion.

"In the end it’s going to be a nice moment when it happens," he said recently.

"Of course I want to win every year, that hasn’t worked out yet. I learned a lot last year, we worked together even better in pre-season testing in Barcelona. We are definitely extremely motivated."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.