Verstappen in no rush to join top team

Max Verstappen says he is in no hurry to seal a switch to one of Formula One racing's top teams, despite being linked to the likes of Ferrari following a breakthrough rookie campaign.

The 18-year-old Toro Rosso driver has claimed nine points finishes in an impressive debut season, with the highlights being fourth places in Hungary and the USA. That form has lifted him to 10th in the drivers' standings, and prompted media speculation that he could be on the radar for a future drive at a championship-challenging team.

"I'm never in a hurry," Verstappen said when asked how eager he would be to seal such a move, "but, of course, if you have two fourth places you're very close to the podium, you want to be on it.

"I still have a lot of things to learn and I'm pretty happy where I am right now - but hopefully in a couple of years I can fight for victories. I think everybody wants that."

Verstappen added that he felt he has improved ‘in every area' since making his record-breaking debut in Australia, saying: "Especially after only one season in lower categories, when you make the jump to F1, I think the raw speed is there, it's just you need to develop in all the other areas - and I think I coped with that pretty well.

"Qualifying I think especially, that's all going well now, but all the areas, especially with the help of the team, it's going much better. I expected it to be like that because I am still very young and I have a lot of things to learn.

"So I'm pretty happy with how the whole season went in general - I improved in everything."

Verstappen, who became the youngest man to top an F1 practice session in Mexico, held talks with Mercedes before electing to join Red Bull's young driver programme last year.