Max Verstappen Downplays Red Bull Hype Despite the Blistering End to Bahrain F1 Testing

Max Verstappen, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, unexpectedly clinched the fastest ever lap of the Bahrain pre-season testing on the very final session of the final day. And his fellow competitors? Hardly anywhere near him.

The second-fastest driver was Charles Leclerc, but the Ferrari driver was still over 0.6s slower than the Dutchman. Hence, a one-sided affair for Red Bull in terms of performance as far as the testing days are concerned. So, looking at the blistering pace Red Bull had in their bag on day 3, could this well mean that they could replicate this dominance heading into the race for the 2022 world championship?

Well, Verstappen doesn’t think so! The defending world champion affirmed that Red Bull did manage to complete the checklist that they had prepared prior to the six-day testing in Barcelona and Bahrain.

However, despite the successful closure to the day-night preparations in the middle-east, Verstappen admitted that it is impossible to assess anything from the timing screens so far.

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What did Max Verstappen say?

As reported by GP Fans, Verstappen reckoned that teams hardly give ‘full beans’ in testing. Hence, despite pulling off a crunchy lap time in Bahrain late on Saturday, the Dutchman insisted everyone hold their breath until the qualifying session of the Bahrain GP to know the true pecking order of the grid.

“The car felt alright and we completed the programme we set out to do, so that’s always positive,” he said. “No one gives full beans or goes to qualifying spec at testing, so we can’t read too much into the timing screens.”

On a positive note, Verstappen looked optimistic about the updates that Red Bull managed to roll in on the final day of testing. Turns out, the newly designed side pod and floor are working well and could well offer Red Bull an edge over their rivals, Mercedes, over the opening race weekend.

“The new parts we tested worked well which is what we always hope for,” the Dutchman said.

Overall, an exciting three-day testing comes to an end, and now, the focus shifts onto the first Grand Prix weekend of this year which is barely a week away. So, who is going to take that crucial first win of the season?

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