Verstappen and Red Bull must defend against McLaren
Dutch racer not expecting to win every race this season as rivals McLaren close in on points lead
Max Verstappen has said he does not expect to win every race this season after McLaren closed to within 19 points of Red Bull in the constructors' championship.
The Dutchman has won four races so far in 2021, but McLaren has been the form team in recent weeks, with Lando Norris winning in Monza and Daniel Ricciardo taking victory in Italy.
Verstappen is now expecting a tough battle for the rest of the season, despite Red Bull holding a seemingly comfortable lead in both championships.
"I don't think we can win every race, we have to be realistic," Verstappen said. "McLaren is very, very competitive, they have a very good car, so we just have to keep pushing, keep improving and see what we can do."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner echoed Verstappen's comments, saying that McLaren is "the team to beat" at the moment.
"McLaren are very strong, they have a great car and two great drivers," Horner said. "They are the team to beat at the moment, so we need to keep pushing and improving if we want to stay ahead of them."
The next race on the calendar is the Russian Grand Prix, which takes place in Sochi on 26 September.
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