MONTE CARLO: Max Verstappen is braced for a difficult Monaco Grand Prix weekend aware that his rivals are beginning to mount a sustained challenge to his bid for a fourth consecutive drivers` world title.

The three-time champion and series leader said on Thursday that he felt both Ferrari and McLaren could threaten his hopes of a third victory in the Mediterranean principality in Sunday`s race.

`It`s one of the more difficult tracks for us,` said the 26-yearold Dutchman, who won lastSunday`s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by less than a second ahead of McLaren`s Lando Norris.

`In the last few years, Ferrari have always been very, very strong here and McLaren, lately, in the last two races, have really ramped up their performance so they are, for sure, ones to watch as well.

`In Monaco, you can always have surprises. Last year, Esteban (Ocon) did an amazing lap in qualifying so these kind of things can happen when someone feels really good, really confident.Verstappen leads the drivers` championship by 48 points ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, after winning five of the opening seven races this year, but knows that Norris, who claimed his maiden victory in Miami three weeks ago, has the speed to beat him.

The Dutchman hopes to extend his Ayrton Senna recordequalling sequence of eight pole positions to an outright new record of nine in Saturday`s qualifying session that is so critical to the outcome of Sunday`s race.-AFP