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Verstappen just short of fastest during test, but question marks remain
- Ludo van Denderen
Second, Max Verstappen closed the last day of testing in Bahrain on Friday, a sigh away from session leader, George Russell. Important that Verstappen was so close in terms of time? No. A boost? Probably. But after a long winter and many hours of hard work at the factory, there are still many question marks for Red Bull Racing. The main question that remains: can Verstappen's team be a serious contender for the world titles?
More than once in recent months, Jos Verstappen tried - including through the media - to urge the Austrian team to do everything they could in the development of the new car. In short, Verstappen senior always said: he was optimistic for 2025, but the former F1 driver also then questioned that if Red Bull did not get things right (again), would they be able to do in the further future?
Besides: Red Bull had to deliver, otherwise Max Verstappen could just check out another team at any time. Whether Red Bull did indeed deliver? Judging from the test days in Bahrain, clear strides have been made - with Verstappen's second fastest time on Friday being the most tangible evidence. The Dutchman drove 81 laps, was the fastest for a long time, but at the very last moment Russell (Mercedes) went around the Middle Eastern track a hundredth quicker.
Is the Red Bull good enough for the top prizes?
In that respect, a fine day for Verstappen. Yet during one of Verstappen's late fast laps, it could also be seen that there really is still room for improvement in terms of the car's handling. So is the RB21's overall package good enough to challenge McLaren, Ferrari and perhaps Mercedes? Is this the car that is balanced again, unlike its predecessor?
During every moment Max Verstappen was on the track with the new RB21, his father, Jos, was watching the monitors intently. Eager to find out the answers to his questions over the past few weeks, he would have liked to know. But after three days of testing? "You just don't know. Also because of what the others are doing," he told GPblog. Although he sees McLaren as the clear fastest at the moment.
Yes, the feeling at Red Bull Racing seems good. But what does that say? The McLaren certainly seemed in a class of its own on Thursday during the long runs. A harbinger for Melbourne? And what of Ferrari, who had a steady test, and with newcomer Hamilton already well integrated into the Scuderia. Is that a team which Red Bull is ahead of or behind?
Waiting until Australian Grand Prix
The first Grand Prix is still two weeks away and no doubt there will be hard work on the new cars until then. During the last day in Bahrain, it became clear that Red Bull has already been hard at work on further development, with a completely new nose already in place. No doubt the world is going to see more new parts in Australia. So Jos Verstappen, and with him Red Bull Racing, are forced to wait a little longer before they really know where the team stands in relation to its competitors.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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