Max Verstappen says signing his long-term Formula 1 future at Red Bull became a certainty after seeing the team’s ambitions in the world title fight and believes he will ha♛ve an edge “when everything is put together in🌃 pressure situations”.

The Dutch driver acted as t🔜he closest rival to the dominant Mercedes duo last year as he claimed third place in the F1 world drivers’ standings with highlights from wins in Austria, Germany and Brazil.

The 22-year-old had been set to become one of the hottest properties on the driver market but Red Bull quickly dispelled outside interest by securi🅘ng him to a new contr🦄act which keeps him at the team until the end of 2023.

Reflecting on the reasons behind his decision to commit his long-term future at Red Bull, the eight-time F1 Grand Prix winner feels the Milton Keynes-based squad is building toward🌊s a world title-winning setup with its Honda engine partnership whil🉐e it has been able to demonstrate its credentials when the pressure has cranked up.

All three of Verstappen’s 2019 wins came through either aggr🧸essive on-track action or forcing mistakes from rivals, with both triumphs at Hockenheim and Interlagos standout moments which helped conv🌃ince him to stay put.

“It takes away any doubts. There are no q🐈uestion marks,” Verstappen said about his new F1 deal. “For me, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing is the right place to be. I feel really good in the team. There are a lot of good people here and I also see t𓆉he motivation and hunger to fight for victories and possibly a championship.

“Everything is very car depꦺendent in Formula 1, 🥂but when you can put pressure on the guy in front it’s a lot harder for him. I’m looking forward to it.

⛦“When everything is put together, in pressure situations – such as in Brazil or Germany – then the team really excels compared to the others.”

With both Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner optimistic of a sustained F1 world title fight against Mercedes this season, the Dutch driver💃 is looking to create more🍸 races where he can apply pressure on his opponents.

“I’m looking forward♊ to when we get that fight and we are really close. If we get that then I’m pretty sure we can 🦋win,” he said.

Verstappen will help Red Bull launch its 2019 F1 car, the RB16, on Fe♔bruary 12 in a digital presentation with a shakedown event at Silverstone pencilled in on the same day.

F1 pre-season testing gets underway at Circuit de Catalunya on♑e week later on February 19-21 🔴before the second test at the Spanish Grand Prix venue on February 26-28.