Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver for Red Bull Racing, remains unfazed despite not leading in either of the two practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Verstappen suspects that rival teams may have increased their engine power to improve their lap times. In the first session, it was a surprise to see Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull finish first, with Verstappen coming in sixth, 0.369 seconds behind. In the second practice session, which is considered more representative, Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes took the lead with a time of 1:30.374s, leaving Verstappen 0.477 seconds behind in sixth place once again. Verstappen acknowledges that there are some setup issues that Red Bull needs to address before the qualifying session on Friday. He believes that some of the teams around him may have already increased their engine power for better top speed. Despite this, Verstappen remains focused on his own performance and aims to find the right balance on the rough tarmac of the Bahrain International Circuit. While he doesn’t think all the teams have turned up their engines, he does believe that a few have.
Regarding Red Bull’s progress this weekend, Max Verstappen stated that the team is not far from finding the desired “sweet spot.” He is managing his expectations for qualifying, anticipating a close session, while also focusing on preparing the RB20 for the race through crucial long runs in final practice. Verstappen emphasized the importance of ensuring the car’s performance during the race, although he acknowledged the significance of qualifying. Despite not being overly concerned about the gap to the top position in practice, he expects a tight competition in qualifying. While Verstappen found some aspects of the long run satisfactory, he believes there are areas for improvement.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, finished 12th and 10th in FP1 and FP2 respectively. Perez also prioritized the mechanical balance of the RB20 during the day, aligning with Verstappen’s focus on developing the car for long race runs. However, Perez acknowledged the competitiveness over a single lap and expects a close battle in qualifying, especially considering Mercedes’ strong performance in FP2. Despite previous claims of a significant advantage for Red Bull, Perez believes the competition is much closer than suggested.