Max Verstappen sets ominous pace as F1 starts testing in Bahrain

MANAMA – Can anyone catch Red Bull’s Max Verstappen? That is the question ahead of the Formula One season which starts next week in Bahrain.

For now, the answer is no, as the three-time world champion gave his struggling rivals little hope for optimism when he dominated the first day of winter testing on Feb 21.

The Dutchman was more than a second faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris with Carlos Sainz, about to start his final year as a Ferrari driver, in third spot at the Sakhir track where the season opener takes place on March 2.

Sainz will lose his seat at Ferrari to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is entering his last campaign behind the wheel of a Mercedes. Hamilton was in action on Feb 22 at press time.

Verstappen’s performance was a boost for a Red Bull team reeling from an investigation into team chief Christian Horner, who has been accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female member of staff.

“It feels good to be back in an F1 car again and I had fun out on track today,” said Verstappen.

“We covered a lot of laps and tried quite a few things with the car, which was important, so happy overall with how it went.”

There was no denying that the new Red Bull already looked a step up from last season’s RB19.

Verstappen was comfortably faster than the quickest lap of the opening day of 2023 testing, completing 143 laps – two race distances. His best lap of 1min 31.344sec beat last campaign’s 1:32.837 on the same circuit.

The sense of business as usual contrasted with the uncertainty surrounding Horner, who faced questioning for eight hours at an internal hearing earlier in February after allegations emerged in the Dutch press of a complaint being made against the 50-year-old by a female employee.

He categorically denies the accusation while Formula One chiefs said they want the issue resolved at the “earliest opportunity”.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff described the investigation as “an issue for all of Formula One”.

“Red Bull has started an independent investigation. If this is done in the right way with transparency and with rigour, I think that’s something that we need to look at – what the outcomes are and what it means for Formula One, and how we can learn from that,” he told a news conference.

“We want to talk about racing cars and we want to talk about the sport rather than these kind of very critical topics, that are more just a team’s issue.

“It’s an issue for all of Formula One and for every individual that works out there.”

At the launch of this season’s Red Bull car last week, Horner had insisted he had no intention of resigning.

“No. It’s business as usual,” he said. “There obviously is a process.

“Obviously, I fully deny any accusations that have been made against me. But of course I’ll work with that process, which I hope is concluded in the near future.”

Back on the track, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was second in the morning with Fernando Alonso third for Aston Martin.

“Our first morning of testing was quite productive, especially in terms of mileage,” said Leclerc. “As for the performance, it’s just too early to comment or draw conclusions.

“We ran all the tests we planned to and things are going ahead as expected, which is a positive.”

Australian Oscar Piastri lapped fourth fastest in the morning for McLaren, handing over to Norris for the second stint.

Alex Albon of Williams was the first driver to experience any notable problem, stopping his car on track due to a fuel pump problem with 21 minutes remaining of the first session.

Teammate Logan Sargeant had a suspected driveshaft problem and Williams were the only team not to take their lap tally into three digits.

Mercedes had George Russell in their car, whose new front wing gained plenty of attention, all day – completing 122 laps.

REUTERS, AFP