While Ferrari looked “very competitive” on Day 2 in Bahrain, that was on a day where “Max Verstappen wasn’t driving”. That is the point made by Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, who also offered an explanation for the RB21 issue which cost Liam Lawson time at the wheel on his final outing before that big debut in Australia.

Max Verstappen has conceded that Red Bull failed to get the results they were looking for when they upgraded their RB20 car last year. The Dutchman eventually secured his fourth consecutive world championship title after a battle with Lando Norris at the business end of the campaign.

Max Verstappen is confident in Red Bull’s development direction as he targets a fifth straight F1 title, despite Adrian Newey’s exit.

Max Verstappen seems happy so far with the feeling he is getting in the RB21, but the Dutchman does caution his team, because last year during winter testing, there were also lots of positives that did not come true in 2024.

Max Verstappen has completed his first kilometres in Red Bull Racing's new RB21. At a windy Bahrain circuit, the reigning champion was the first to subject the new car to a small test during the shakedown this Tuesday.