Verstappen says Red Bull still has more to show

Verstappen took advantage of the upgrade package Red Bull introduced to the RB18 to set a time that was 0.695sec quicker than Charles Leclerc, who also put in his best attempt in the dying minutes of the final day.

But that Verstappen lap gave some early clues to Red Bull’s true potential, with the world champion acknowledging that neither he nor anyone else was pushing hard yet.

“Nobody is in the qualifying spec at the moment,” he told F1TV as the 2022 Bahrain test wrapped up.

Max Verstappen explained that the best thing about the final day was not being the fastest, but rather being able to start to understand the different tire compounds, as well as confirming that Red Bull’s sidepod development had worked.

“I think the most important thing was the tires that we are going to use next week,” he said. “The car felt good, and we stuck to the program we had planned to do, and that’s always a positive I think.”

He added: “Of course the car is better on low fuel, and obviously on high fuel the car is a bit lazy and harder to move. But it’s the same for everyone. well, which is what you always hope for.”

Asked if they would leave those updates on the car for next weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen said: “They work, so hopefully we’ll keep them.”

Verstappen’s form on the Bahrain international circuit has confirmed Red Bull’s position as one of the pre-season favourites, with permission from the equally competitive Ferrari.

And while other teams such as Mercedes and McLaren have had a harder time on the hotter and bumpier Sakhir track, Verstappen says Red Bull seems to have made a step forward compared to the different conditions of testing in Barcelona.

“Well, compared to Barcelona, it’s more about the track, the rough tarmac, the warmer conditions and stuff,” he said. “The layout makes it a completely different feeling compared to Barcelona.”

“But yeah, of course we’ve learned a lot more about the car, so we’ve made it faster. And I think that’s what you want.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18