Red Bull RB19 "definitely an improvement" over 2022 F1 car - Verstappen
Max Verstappen says the new Red Bull RB19 Formula 1 car is an improvement on its predecessor and stressed that more performance is "in the pipeline".
The new car has looked comfortably fast from the start of testing on Thursday, and it has also run with few apparent issues, although Verstappen lost some track time on Friday.
PLUS: What watching trackside in Bahrain indicates about F1 2023
The world champion had the car to himself on Thursday and then shared it with Sergio Perez on Friday before the Mexican was its sole occupant on Saturday.
"I think the car is working really well," said Verstappen. "Just going through a lot of things that we wanted to try, and everything is very interesting, what we have been trying.
"So very positive days for me. And just in general enjoying driving the car."
Verstappen noted the car feels different to drive compared with the RB18.
"There are quite a few differences in the cars," he said. "So it definitely drives a bit different. I think that's also a bit related to the tyres. But overall, I think it's definitely an improvement from last year.
"The main issue we had last year is that the car was massively overweight. So, in the beginning, the car was just very lazy - it was not turning in, because the weight was also in the wrong place on the car.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
"And throughout the year we got rid of that, and you could see the performance of course was increasing a lot and it became more of a race car.
"And this year, just a continuation, but also things that we found and put on the car that were clearly better. And yeah, we already have things in the pipeline coming, and just work in progress. But we know what our limitations are - and we work around this."
Asked if he was confident heading into next weekend's opening race in Sakhir, he said: "It's not only about confidence, it's just about actually putting the performance down.
"I think we had really positive test days and we learned a lot, and hopefully we just start off the weekend well, and then we'll see where we end up."
Verstappen didn't want to be drawn on the potential pecking order, adding: "I don't know - it's difficult to say, I think that it's more important that we just focus on ourselves. We're happy with what we're doing."
Share Or Save This Story
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
"You're not allowed to make a difference" – Verstappen says the fastest F1 drivers are penalised
The Red Bull seat nobody is talking about – and why that's the biggest compliment of all
What Red Bull's succession plans for Lambiase and Marko reveal about team's F1 future
Wolff admits Mercedes has most powerful F1 engine – and Red Bull agrees – as ADUO returns to spotlight
Red Bull names successor to Verstappen's race engineer Lambiase
How Antonelli found half a second to thwart Verstappen in Belgian GP qualifying
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP
Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades
F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2, Colapinto crashes for Alpine
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Hamilton heads FP2 after Colapinto crash, Stroll sidelined for Aston Martin
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments