MANAMA – Two-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team will be tough to beat at this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, his rivals admitted on Thursday.

Both Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell said the defending champion’s team had shown they had a distinct performance advantage in last week’s three-day pre-season testing sessions at the Sakhir track, which will host the opening race.

“It’s clear, they’ve had a strong start and both Red Bull and Max seem to be very strong,” said Leclerc, who finished second in the 2022 title race behind the flying Dutchman.

“Yes, it’s only testing, so it’s difficult to quantify by how much, but it seems like they are a bit in front compared to us. So, we’ve got some work to do.

“It’s only the beginning but the goal for us is definitely to go one better.”

Russell and his Mercedes teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, were both underwhelmed by their new car’s performance in relation to the fresh Red Bull, but retained optimism and determination.

“It probably wasn’t the smoothest three days we could have hoped for, but I think we learnt lessons from the test,” Russell said.

“Those learnings, the findings we found... I think is going to put us in better stead for this weekend.

“But I think it’s definitely fair to say Red Bull are in a bit of a league of their own, here in Bahrain.

“I think it will probably be a nice fight for second place, probably between Ferrari and Aston Martin.”

Aston Martin’s newly signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso played down any hopes of a podium finish despite his strong showing in testing.

He told reporters that the top three teams remained beyond the reach of the rest of the field, and that he did not expect to be troubling them on Sunday.

Alonso, incidentally, will be welcoming back teammate Lance Stroll, who has recovered from injuries suffered in a cycling accident during pre-season training.

Verstappen – who had 15 triumphs in 22 races in 2022 – continued to keep a relatively low profile ahead of the new season, in which he hopes to claim a third consecutive drivers’ title.

“We had three really good days,” he said of the testing sessions.

“I think also just in general, the progress we made over the winter was very good.

“We have to, of course, show it this weekend, but not only this weekend.

“From there on, you continue to develop and every track is also a bit different in terms of behaviour of the car, but, yeah, the test days were good for us.”

He added that the team’s new RB19 car was an improvement “everywhere” over its predecessor, adding that it was “nice (to drive) and well-balanced”.

He also said that Red Bull had adapted well to rule changes that raise the edges of the cars’ floors.

“Every team, of course, has lost a bit of performance with the floor, but you always try to gain that back in a way,” he said.

“So, you have to find a bit of a new balance with the car, but it’s been good for us. So far...”

While his rivals have high hopes for him, Verstappen has never won a season-opener or a race in Bahrain.

Last season, he retired from second place as Leclerc took pole position, fastest lap and a convincing victory.

Verstappen’s overall record in Bahrain includes two second places, in 2020 and 2021, and three retirements, so he will be seeking a change of fortune on Sunday when Ferrari, again, are likely to be Red Bull’s closest rivals.

Leclerc won in Sakhir in 2022 in a memorable one-two ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz and they will hope for something similar to welcome new team chief Fred Vasseur. AFP