F1's Max Verstappen: 'I have to believe I'm the best'

An army of ionate fans, the hopes of Formula 1 giant Red Bull on his shoulders, and the task of bringing an end to the dominance of Sir Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team.

It's a lot to deal with for a young driver. But is Max Verstappen feeling the pressure? Not likely.

"A racing car has a steering wheel and two pedals. That's what you can control," Max tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

The 23-year-old Dutchman's job is much more complicated than that, but his mentality is simple.

"As a driver, you always have to believe that you are the best," Max tells us from the paddock in Baku.

"And do I? Of course."

The race is on.

Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Dutch driver leads the F1 drivers' world championship.

Max overtook Sir Lewis to lead the standings for the first ever time at Monaco last month - that track is described as the ultimate test for an F1 driver.

Two-time winner and double world champion Fernando Alonso recently told Newsbeat: "One lap of Monaco is like 20 of any other circuit."

Max its it felt particularly special.

"Up until this year I had a few struggles there. But it's one of the races people always say you need to win, so I'm very happy that I've done so," he says.

You can't help but notice the smile spread across his face when Max adds: "It's awesome."

Max already has a huge reputation in F1.

Aged 17 he became the youngest driver ever to compete in the sport. A year later he was the youngest ever to win a race.

He's seen as one of the biggest talents in this generation of drivers, known for his raw speed and an aggressive driving style.

But he insists his relationship with Sir Lewis - the most successful F1 driver of all time - is built on respect.

"We race each other hard. And I think that's exactly how you want it to be, isn't it":[]}