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Cape Town - With a limited number of days for pre-season testing, Max Verstappen reckons the "most important thing" is to get off to a reliable start.
2018's pre-season is once again limited to just eigth days out on track, starting on February 26.
The drivers usually alternate days meaning Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will each have a mere four days of running.
As such the Dutchman acknowledges that getting in full days in a reliable car are all vital.
In an interview with his website, the Red Bull driver as asked if he would know during testing whether he had a good car, or not, on his hands.
He replied: "That’s exactly it: normally it gives you an impression of where you are at the beginning of the year.
"But the most important thing is to test the reliability and to see how the car behaves during the tests."
Pressed on that, he stated that it is within the first few laps that he gets an impression of the car.
"After the first day definitely," he said. "Yes, absolutely."
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Dutchman admits he's hopeful given Red Bull's strong finish to 2017.
"Yes [he is hopefully], we still need to of course wait and see how competitive we are with the new car and engine," he stated.
"But being a driver, you always need to have faith in yourself, I think."
There is, however, one big change to the sport this season as Halo is making its debut.
The added weight has once again forced some drivers to go on a diet, but not Max.
“I don’t have anymore weight to lose!" he said. "It’s quite simple: I just need to stay as is."
