Max Verstappen will start the new F1 season next weekend after a strong three-day test at the Bahrain International Circuit as the top favorite, but the reigning world champion of Red Bull Racing does not want to make a prediction yet. The 26-year-old Dutchman is careful not to get too optimistic, but is really looking forward to the first showdown in Bahrain.
Red Bull caused a stir earlier this month with the presentation of the RB20. The new weapon of Verstappen and Sergio Pérez turned out not to be a further development of the successful RB19, but a concept that was very reminiscent of Mercedes’ failed zeropod concept. The question was of course whether Red Bull would be able to implement the daring concept. Positive signals were received in the simulator from sim driver Rudy van Buren, but it remained to be seen how the results in the simulator would compare to the results on a real circuit.
Verstappen does not want to get ahead of himself
During the three-day test in Bahrain last week, it quickly became clear that all was well and according to many, including Fernando Alonso, Verstappen is the towering favorite for the world title in 2024. However, Verstappen himself is a bit more cautious in his assessment. “We had a few good testing days and learned a lot from the car,” says the 26-year-old in his preview on Verstappen.com.
“Of course we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” the three-time world champion continues. ‘We have to make sure we get everything right to have a strong first weekend. Everyone has done a lot of laps here in Bahrain, so hopefully we won’t have too many surprises in terms of car setup in the coming week. All in all, I’m looking forward to getting started and racing again,” the Dutchman concludes his message.
Don’t miss anything from Verstappen in 2024? Then take out a discounted subscription with Viaplay, or view all options here.
