Verstappen describes ‘only good surprises’ for Red Bull as he reflects on Day 1 of testing

Max Verstappen declared that “everything felt good” aboard Red Bull’s RB21 following the opening day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Taking over from new team mate Liam Lawson in the afternoon session, Verstappen completed more than a race distance in mileage en route to the day’s third-fastest time, slotting behind Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

After an up-and-down 2024 campaign, which saw Red Bull encounter balance problems with their RB20 package, the team worked hard to right the wrongs over the winter and come back fighting.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 26: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull — Verstappen ended Day 1 of pre-season testing in third place on the timesheets

“From the driving I did today everything felt good,” said Verstappen, who still managed to beat Norris to last year’s Drivers’ Championship, while McLaren took the Teams’ Championship from Red Bull. “Only good surprises which was good.

“We don’t know pace yet but everything is working well and the car is doing what I want it to do. It is all in control and that is what we can hope for really to start off my testing.

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“We are constantly learning and trying different things and will continue to do so. It is not about hitting the perfect lap but it is about working on our testing programme and learning what direction we need to push the car forwards to get it under control.”

Lawson, meanwhile, ended the day in eighth position, just under a second away from Verstappen, as he recovered from an early spin to also hit a healthy number of laps.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 26: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to — Lawson is preparing for his first full-time season in F1 with Red Bull

“I had so much fun out there today and it was so good to finally drive the new car properly and do some laps,” he commented. “It feels okay but obviously it is very early days, so it’s very much about learning at the moment.

“For me, there is a lot more to come because I need to learn a lot moving teams. But from a team side we are just trying to learn about the new car, and optimise these testing days. We had a plan of test items, and we managed to go through the whole plan, which is always good.

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“We go into tomorrow with a lot more running and a better idea of where to improve the car. It’s hard to tell where we are in terms of pace but the car feels good to drive and comfortable.

“Testing is just as important to me, as it is for the team to learn about the car. It’s crucial to maximise these days before [the first race] Melbourne.”