Max Verstappen reveals the importance of his fans on his performances

Max Verstappen has had a great 2019 so far. He is one of only three drivers to win a race and is sitting in a comfortable third in the driver's championship. The Red Bull driver has reflected on the highlights of the season so far and is hopeful that more race wins will come after the summer break. 

"The start to the season was a bit more difficult than expected, but then we were able to improve nicely," Verstappen said to SpeedWeek.com. "We've made progress on the chassis, and Honda has been able to improve the engine. The highlight, of course, was the first victory with Honda since 2006, just on the home circuit of Red Bull. That has touched us all very much.

"Fittingly, entire grandstands were dyed on the Red Bull Ring in the orange of the Netherlands," he said. "It's phenomenal to enjoy such support. This will give you so much energy, so much positivity. I was delighted to be able to give something back to the fans with my second consecutive victory in Austria."

If things continue to go his way then Verstappen could threaten Mercedes come the end of the year. Only 7 points behind Valtteri Bottas, the Dutchman will be hoping his Honda engine keeps developing so that he can end Mercedes' dominance.