'Very Impressive': Marko Asserts After First Day Of Testing Red Bull's Bold New Concept Works

F1
Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 09:28
Updated at Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 09:37
verstappen max redbull car rbcp36

Helmut Marko expressed his satisfaction with Red Bull's 2024 challenger RB20, after the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Yesterday, during the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, all the F1 teams got their cars on the track simultaneously for the first time since the winter break.

Max Verstappen was set behind the wheel of RB20 for both the morning and the evening sessions. Positively for the Red Bull team and its fans, the day went by smoothly without any issues.

Moreover, the Dutchman scored the fastest lap during both sessions and in the evening session, the 26-year-old inside RB20 gapped everyone by more than a second in terms of the fast lap time.

Reflecting on the two sessions at the end of the day, Red Bull's advisor, Helmut Marko, was very impressed. As reported by nl.motorsport.com, he said:

"This was very impressive. We completed 143 laps, more or less without any problems. The concept works and that is the most important thing. It looks good."

The triple World Champion managed to put in more laps than any other driver, partly because he was one of only two drivers who drove the car during both sessions.

Nevertheless, even in terms of combined team efforts, Verstappen put in the second-highest amount of laps. Marko continued:

"Max was also positive, yes. The car responded flawlessly to everything we changed. Actually, it is now mainly about fine-tuning."

In 2024, Red Bull Racing F1 team decided to go with a quite different concept to what the team pursued during the last two seasons, which is considered quite risky. However, judging from Marko's reaction, everything seems positive for the team at the moment.

Asked whether the Newey's RB20 put a smile on Verstappen's face, Marko added: "Actually, we were all laughing a lot today."