Verstappen focused on pushing Mercedes "to the last race"

Max Verstappen has said he will push Mercedes "to the last race" and believes the "amazing" Red Bull pit crew could play a key role in securing a second win of the year.

Verstappen was the only driver who could match the pace of Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at Imola but was prevented from claiming a likely second place finish when his right-rear Pirelli tyre failed and put him out of the race.

The Dutchman's only win of the year to date came at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

"I’m just trying to stay as close to Mercedes as possible and push them to the last race.," said Verstappen.

"The pit crew have been amazing all year and the stops have been so good that it can help us gain an advantage in the race.

"I think we have had the fastest pit stop at every race so far which is pretty impressive."

Formula 1 returns to Istanbul Park for the first Turkish Grand Prix since 2011 this weekend, marking the final race at a new unique venue for the season.

Verstappen believes the variety of new circuits has increased the excitement of the season and forecasted an enjoyable race in Turkey due to the multiple overtaking opportunities at the track.

"I'm looking forward to visiting another new track and they are definitely making the season even more exciting," he explained.

"It’s a place I’ve never been to before and I’m not sure how many of the other drivers have raced there either, I think that even if they have been there before, it won’t give them a massive advantage as it was a long time ago."

He added: "It’s definitely a fast track. I’ve driven it on the simulator and the whole track is very enjoyable.

"I think it will be a good track to overtake on, there are so many straights and the corners are quite wide, so you can take quite a few different lines through them which is always interesting. Hopefully, I won’t need to overtake too much though."

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