Verstappen measured despite best time in Bahrain

During these three days of testing in Bahrain, no one did as well as Max Verstappen. On the Sakhir route, the Batavian was the fastest man with a lap in 1'31"720 and the only one to go under the 1'32 mark. A performance that the reigning world champion was able to achieve thanks to an RB18 with low fuel consumption and mounted on the softest tires in the Pirelli range (C5).

A great way to end the pre-season testing before heading towards the first Grand Prix, still in Bahrain on March 20. However, Max Verstappen is not yet declaring victory as it is difficult to establish a clear hierarchy at a time when the new regulations are taking their first steps.

« No one has fully used the qualifications spec yet, puts the Red Bull driver into perspective on F1TV. Obviously, the car is better with less gas. By taking on more it doesn't stand out much but it's the same for everyone. In any case, the new parts (including pontoons) worked well ».

Next time we're on track ➡️ FP1 for the #BahrainGP 🔜🇧🇭 pic.twitter.com/u4UFWz0SOS

- Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 12, 2022

If the best time is obviously a satisfaction, Max Verstappen recognized that the main objective of the day lay elsewhere. “ There was a general progression throughout the day and we tried different tires, continues the main person concerned. The main goal was to focus on the erasers we are going to use next week (during the Bahrain Grand Prix i.e. hard C1, medium C2 and soft C3 compounds). The car was nice and we followed our driving program as planned and that's positive (...) We learned more about cars and that's what you always want to do »

The tire allocation for the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20. ©Pirelli

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