Verstappen was by far the fastest on Saturday’s third and final day of testing in Bahrain, even though he didn’t even go ‘to full throttle’, as the Red Bull Racing driver himself said. “The car feels good and I was able to complete the desired program, so that’s positive. But it doesn’t make much sense to look at the lap times, because nobody has gone full throttle yet,” said the world champion after 53 laps in the new Red Bull, making him the fastest driver on the field in three days.
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“The new parts that were on the car today worked well and of course you hope for that. We have made the car faster compared to the first days of testing in Barcelona.”
Despite a revolutionary new car, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes showed a lot less and spoke of a difficult test itself. Yet Verstappen refuses to count himself rich. “Because that’s how it always goes, isn’t it? When someone else does it right, they immediately feel like: oh, we’re not the favorite† And then suddenly: well, we managed to turn it around in a week, not normal. Thank you to the factory and all the people there† Last year there were also concerns at Mercedes during the test days, but in the end they were still very strong.”
22 races
The season currently has 22 races. The Russian Grand Prix was recently canceled due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The international motorsport federation FIA is still looking for a replacement circuit. Zandvoort is also on the calendar again, on September 4.
transfiguration
The fastest cars in the world have undergone a major makeover: bigger tires, modified front and rear wings and eye-catching sidepods, the air intakes on the side of the cars. Almost every team has come up with its own new streamline. The changes in the rules should make it easier for the cars to drive closer together, so that more overtaking actions are possible.
Free Practices
The first free practice sessions have now been held. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) was surprisingly the fastest in the first practice of the season, while Max Verstappen finished fifth there. The RedBull driver put his affairs in order a few hours later during practice number two, when only Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was able to stay somewhat close.
The Mercedes struggled to distinguish themselves. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell did not set top times during both practices. Hamilton finished in the middle in both sessions, while Russell finished fourth twice.
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Bahrain Grand Prix Program
- Friday 1 pm: first free practice
- Friday 4 pm: second free practice
- Saturday 1 pm: third free practice
- Saturday 4 p.m.: qualifying
- Sunday 4 pm: race