Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has said that he does not feel as though he is an aggressive driver, before delivering what appears a thinly veiled dig at Lewis Hamilton over their incident at Silverstone.

The Dutch star has been touted by most to be a Formula 1 world champion at some point in his career in the sport and this season he is getting his first real opportunity to achieve that goal.

He's up against one of the greats in Lewis Hamilton but is suitably confident in his own abilities to get the job done and, after an impressive first half of the campaign, you would not bet against him.

Of course, recent results at Silverstone and the Hungaroring have not gone the Dutchman's way but he's still very much in the fight, and it's a battle that he's more than ready for - though he does not feel as though he ever oversteps the mark with his driving.

At times throughout his career he has been labelled too aggressive but this year there seems to have been an extra layer of maturity brought to his performances, and he thinks he is a hard but fair racer.

Speaking in an excellent interview with The Race, Verstappen explained:

“I feel like I just race hard.

“I don’t feel like I race aggressive. Of course, I will make it difficult if people will try to pass me. I will always try to make it difficult for them, to put them in difficult positions.

“But I think my awareness of where I can position my car is really good and I haven’t been involved in having another car off the track. I have zero penalty points. I think that says quite a lot.

“I have been racing hard my whole career. And the last few years, the aggressive approach is out. I’m just making it more difficult for people.

“Of course, some people might think a bit different about that, but I actually think that the racing side is a really strong point of mine and I also really know how to stay out of trouble.

“But that is not always in your hands if other people drive into you.”

Of course, that last line carries a fair bit of significance as it's quite apparent he's nodding towards the crash at Silverstone with Lewis Hamilton that he and Red Bull obviously believe they were blameless for.

The second half of the campaign will soon be upon us, though, and it needs to be eyes forwards from all involved as they chase this year's Drivers' and Constructors' crowns.