Verstappen: Red Bull needs to be up there 'every single weekend'

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Max Verstappen says Red Bull must make sure that it can exploit the full potential of its car at every venue this season, starting with next week's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Verstappen concluded last weekend in Austria a massively successful double round of racing at the Red Bull Ring that delivered to the team a pair of dominant wins that have pushed the Milton Keynes-based outfit 44 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors' standings.

Furthermore, the Dutchman also extended his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' championship to 30 points. But Verstappen is determined to follow through on his recent success and the 15-time Grand Prix winner has urged his team to keep up its momentum of late.

"I’m also focused on the rest of the season," Verstappen said. "It is still so long, and there are still a lot of points you need to score.

"We need to make sure that every single weekend we are back up there and we basically use the whole potential of the car.

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"We had a good car in Austria especially, I think it was just very dominant. But we have to make sure that in Silverstone we are there again.

"That’s what we will look into now, again to make sure we are very competitive there."

Silverstone has traditionally been a prosperous hunting ground for Mercedes in the past, with the reigning world champions winning seven of the last nine races held at the Northamptonshire track.

Also, Mercedes will field an updated W12 in next week's tenth round while the introduction of F1's novel Sprint Qualifying format could throw up a few surprises.

Overall, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes his team will be hard pressed to emulate in Britain the dominance it enjoyed in Austria.

©RedBull

"Now we head to a circuit that has been really very much a Mercedes stronghold for the last seven years," Horner said.

"It's a different challenge with the sprint race introduction, a different format that weekend.

"Obviously, Mercedes have been enormously strong there over the years, and, Lewis has his home support as well.

"So we expect it to be a big challenge."

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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.