Verstappen Gives Verdict On Red Bull's Development Progress After Final Test

Saturday, 24 February 2024 at 14:30

Max Verstappen discussed how he felt about Red Bull's RB20 - 2024 challenger after the final day of testing in Bahrain.

After three days of running, pre-season testing in Bahrain came to a close yesterday (Friday, 23rd). During these three days, Max Verstappen completed 220 laps in his RB20.

The Dutchman seemed to get on well with the new car from the beginning of the first session. It looks like RB20 suits him well in terms of driving style, and the speed is also definitely there.

While lap times from testing days don't tell the whole story, all the drivers in the paddock already agree Red Bull will be the fastest car based on what they've seen.

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Speaking to the media after the afternoon session on Friday, the Red Bull Racing F1 driver suggested everything looks quite positive for his team ahead of the first race next week.

"Today, we made the plan not to focus on pure lap time. I think it was more important just to get the long-running done and then get a bit more of an understanding of the car, so we focused on that programme and to be honest, I think it all looked quite positive."

Multiple drivers already shared their dooming predictions. Alex Albon said Verstappen will have a 25-second lead and break a record for the fastest lap around the Bahrain International Circuit during next week's race.

Fernando Alonso suggested the remaining 19 drivers feel they won't have a chance to compete for the Championship this year. Could we really see another year of utter dominance? The 26-year-old Red Bull driver added:

"[I'm] quite happy with the car, how it was behaving, and then when we head into the race weekend, it's about fine-tuning the balance around the circumstances that you face throughout that weekend."