Verstappen pessimistic before Bahrain: "Not ideal for us compared to McLaren"

Will we see again Max Verstappen defy the odds on the Sakhir circuit? Expected behind the two McLaren In Japan, the four-time reigning world champion surprised everyone by setting the fastest qualifying lap at the end of a remarkable loop, allowing him to secure pole position by 12 thousandths of a second. This pole having greatly facilitated his victory on Sunday, the Dutchman remains more than ever in the title race, only one point behind Lando Norris.

However, at the start of this new weekend, confidence is not high in the clan. Red BullAware that he no longer has the best machine, Max Verstappen did not fail to mention to RacingNews365 the main topic of this Thursday concerning the degradation of the tires during the sessions. According to him, this radical change in temperature compared to the last races will be intended to highlight the shortcomings of his RB21.

Verstappen anticipates McLaren advantage

“At Suzuka we couldn't overtake, and Lando was getting towards the end of the first stint, I knew it would happen, but I was just driving at my own pace, the track temperature dropped a lot that day and that helped a little bit.”

Clear about the favorable environment that allowed him to accumulate valuable points, the interested party believes that Red Bull is preparing to experience a weekend that will be a great challenge. “Of course it will be hot here, we are driving at night so it cools down a bit, but it is always hot with aggressive asphalt, so on paper, from what we have seen so far this season, it is not ideal for us compared to McLaren, but it is up to us to try and find those improvements in the behavior of the car and the tires.”

In the image of Fernando Alonso, also declaring this Thursday that "When you have the fastest car, you can manage more easily.", McLaren appears particularly expected in the heart of a weekend where no other team seems assured of being able to optimize its longest stints.

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