Max Verstappen reckons that high tyre wear is going to play its part in the result of the British Grand Prix this weekend.

The Red Bull ace comes into Silverstone with a 46-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez but knows that things can change in an instant in Formula 1.

Indeed, he had a good lead this time last year before his infamous crash with Lewis Hamilton began a run that saw him eventually overtaken in the standings, and so he'll be taking nothing for granted.

He's excited to be racing in Great Britain once more, then, but admits that it is not going to be a walk in the park, with him revealing that he feels high tyre wear is going to be an issue in particular:

"I’m looking forward to going back to Silverstone as it’s a real classic and historic race on the calendar. There are so many amazing fans there and it’s nice to know that we are just down the road from the Team at the factory in Milton Keynes. It’s also good to be heading back to a traditional racetrack after quite a few street circuits. The performance this weekend will depend on whether we find a good balance and we also need a decent tyre strategy as degradation will be high there. So there’s plenty of things that we need to get right this weekend, it won’t be smooth sailing."

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 19: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

The new tyres this year will need to deal with the high-speed turns of Copse, Maggotts, Becketts and Stowe, among others, and so it could be a crucial dynamic in Sunday's race.

It remains to be seen who looks after the tyres best, then.