Jostled by Alonso, Verstappen is far from satisfied with his Red Bull

Unexpected competition for Max Verstappen. If the vast majority of the field expected to see the Dutchman dominate in Bahrain, the path to victory could be more difficult than expected. At the end of the first two practice sessions on Friday, the double world champion was surpassed by another double champion: Fernando Alonso, on board his Aston Martin. “They are fast, admitted Verstappen after Free Practice 2. But you could see from the [winter] tests that they were very competitive. They had a great day. For us, there is still a little work to do. We know we have a very competitive car. Now it's just a matter of putting it all together. »

Above all, Max Verstappen was nowhere near as happy as after pre-season testing on Friday. The pilot Red Bull experienced Free Practice 1 " really bad " with an RB19 much more nervous than a week ago. “I couldn't find a balance, which was a bit strange because in testing everything we tried, confided the Dutchman. Even the start of FP2 was a bit difficult, but on the final stint, even without having made a good reference and not having good confidence yet, the laps were not too bad. I was better connected with the car. »

Verstappen reassured by race pace

If the reigning champion was not yet fully satisfied with his car, the Red Bulls still remain at the top of the timesheet. With the 2nd time, less than 2 tenths behind Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen still has a good margin over his other competitors, notably Ferrari. The race simulations carried out during the first Free Practices also gave the Dutch driver a boost. “I was quite surprised at the pace we had. Overall, the car isn't too bad on long stints. I just need to get my rhythm back with the car and just the way the car drives between qualifying and the race. »

The one who has never won the Bahrain Grand Prix in his career remains the big favorite for pole position, despite Alonso's impressive performance on Friday. Answer this afternoon at 16:00 p.m. for qualifying on the Sakhir circuit, a session to follow in live text on AUTOhebdo.

ALSO READ > The program for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix