Verstappen: Gearbox problem linked to Gasly accident

Only 29 laps appeared on the counter of the Red Bull RB15 – Honda Max Verstappen yesterday for the last day of winter testing in Barcelona.

The fault lies with a gearbox problem which finds its explanation, according to the Dutch driver, in Pierre Gasly's exit from the track Thursday afternoon.

« This is linked to yesterday's accident., emphasizes Verstappen. We changed the box but you are still limited with the parts you have on test (Red Bull received parts this morning to repair the car). When you already have two that are destroyed, it's not ideal.

Nonetheless, the team did an incredible job getting the car running last night. Many parts were flown in and the team worked very hard to get the car ready. Only half an hour after the session started, we left. »

The Milton Keynes entity, however, admits to having carried out more than encouraging tests, in particular with a Honda engine block having met the expectations of the quadruple world champion team.

“We had an extremely productive testing period and learned a lot about the RB15 and the direction we want to take at the start of the season, comments Guillaume Rocquelin, head of race engineering. Honda has always been exceptional, we have had great reliability and the relationship with the team is exceptional. »

Asked about the pure performance of the RB15, Max Verstappen does not necessarily want to look at the lap time alone, he who set his reference time for the second week on yellow C3 tires, when the other drivers switched to red C5 tires.

“If we look at the long runs, it looks very promising, analyzes the Dutchman. I think we have a very good package. For my part, it's better than last year, I feel good in the car. »

Have Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen hidden their game during this second week of running? Melbourne will begin to respond in a little over 15 days.