Though the 2020 calendar is currently down to 21 races, F1 bosses have made no secret of the fact that they want to see the schedule in future seasons increased to as many as 25.

Max Verstappen believes that the current schedule of 21/22 races is enough, admitting that he feels it important to have a life outside F1.

"I think the current number of races is okay," he tells his own website. "I would not want to do any more, as we are already a lot away from home.

"It is not only the races, but also everything else in between," he adds. "That is why I would not want to do any more Grand Prix. Not because I do not like it, but because it will be too busy. I think it is important to be able to have a life outside of Formula 1."

In terms of a life outside F1, Lewis Hamilton is exploring all manner of other fields including movies, fashion and music, however, when asked if he is looking beyond F1, the Red Bull driver admits: "Slowly. But it depends on what your hobbies are... mine are always in racing. So in that respect I am staying mostly in the same world."

At a time the 2020 contenders have only recently taken to the track, within the teams attention is already turning to 2021, asked if he will be involved in Red Bull's design programme he admits: "In the end it does not matter too much for me, I must make sure it goes well with the current car.

"I cannot really influence the next car, as I am not an aerodynamics specialist," he adds. "I am also not experienced in suspension and those kinds of things, so I have to let the engineers do their job.

"It will be a very different car, so things said about the current car will not do much for the new one, as it is so different."

One thing we already know about the 2021 cars is that the likes of Mercedes controversial dual axis steering system is banned, asked if he fears that the sport is becoming too restrictive in terms of such innovation he says: "The aerodynamics people will of course not like it, they want to build cars with systems like that. But it is a good thing if we want to bring the field closer together. In the end I do not think it will make too much of a difference, because if you would keep the current regulations for a couple of years, the field would close up automatically.

"It is not good to keep changing the rules all the time," he continues, "because then there will always be a team that finds something to be better than the rest. Even in the F2 you see some distinction between the teams, while each car is essentially the same. Sometimes there is a difference of half a second between cars, purely because of the setup. It will always be like that."

Among the numerous changes in 2021 is the budget cap, and like a number of others, especially those involved with the 'big three', Max believes that it won't make much difference, certainly to begin with.

"I do not think it will make much of a difference, because most teams are already investing heavily in the 2021 cars. The big teams can invest more, so they will have a head start into the new year. It may take a couple of years before you see a difference."

Asked to reflect on his first five seasons in the sport, he says: "Quite okay. I have already achieved a lot more than I ever expected at such a young age. But when you are in Formula 1, you want to do it well.

"Fortunately we had some nice victories and I hope we will continue the upward trend, so we will eventually be able to go for the championship."

And Melbourne, which is just two weeks away.

"I am looking forward to race again. You are working towards it, knowing what is coming. For the rest you try to make an as good as possible impression."