Even though Red Bull did not finish first on the timesheets on the last day of competition, Max Verstappen was happy with what Red Bull accomplished as pre-season testing came to an end at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The red flags were raised on Friday to allow for track repairs after Sergio Perez ran over a drain cover during the first hour of competition. After the session resumed, it continued without a lunch break until the end of the day, during which Verstappen took over at the wheel of the RB20.
READ MORE: Leclerc leads the way as the action wraps up in Bahrain on Day 3 of preseason testing
Though Charles Leclerc emerged victorious from the three-day test with a
After the test was over, Verstappen gave an explanation, saying, “Today we made the plan to not focus on pure lap time.” “I believe it was more crucial to finish the lengthy process and then gain a better understanding of the vehicle, so we concentrated on that program, and to be honest, I believe everything turned out pretty well.
“[I’m] pretty satisfied with the car and how it was performing, and then it will be about fine-tuning the balance around the conditions that you encounter during the race weekend.”
Following a seemingly successful test run, Red Bull has been tipped by many in the paddock as the favorites coming off of their dominant campaign in 2023.
Verstappen said, “I don’t really think about that,” in response to questions about whether the team felt this way and who he thought was their biggest threat. I simply observe what we’re doing here.
READ MORE: Perez expresses surprise at Red Bull’s RB20 concept while saying the field is “a lot closer than people think.”
“Obviously, there’s always work to be done because you want to perform better, but overall, I believe our test was very successful and we gained a lot of knowledge from it.
