Verstappen reveals Red Bull goals for 2024 testing

Max Verstappen has revealed what he and his Red Bull team are looking to get out of this week's pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Verstappen clocked well over 100 laps on track on Wednesday, cruising to the fastest single lap of the day by more than a second as teams begin to fear the Red Bull machine once again.

Despite little being known about either team's run plans, the gap between Verstappen and second-fastest Lando Norris was eye-catching as the Dutchman was able to complete two race distances without any reliability maladies.

READ MORE: F1 Testing Results: Session CANCELLED after Leclerc disaster

Street circuits and slow bends are the main areas to work on for Red Bull

For the second day of testing, Verstappen handed the controls of the Red Bull to Sergio Perez, who completed a whole day of running on Thursday.

Verstappen, who won last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, had driven the RB20 prior to arriving in Bahrain, conducting a shakedown at a wet Silverstone before the car’s official launch last Thursday.

Adrian Newey’s latest creation is strikingly different to its predecessor and features a Mercedes-style ‘cannon’ cooling system and a new sidepod design.

Red Bull will be looking to achieve something they failed to do in 2023 and complete a perfect season, winning 21 out of the 22 races. The one race where Red Bull struggled was the Singapore GP as a set-up issue, and a poorly timed safety car meant Verstappen could only finish fifth with Perez further back in eighth.

"In Bahrain, we have to learn to understand the car in order to be at the front right away," explained Verstappen to Speedweek. “We know exactly what we needed to improve for 2024.

"Compared to other track types, for example, we struggled on street circuits. Slow bends didn't suit the car, and we weren't good enough in terms of handling on bumps or kerbs either.

"But I'm curious and excited. It's always a marvellous thing to experience how a new racing car is created. The first important moment is always the seat test, then you can feel the fever rising."

READ MORE: F1 Schedule 2024: Full calendar with all you need to know about every grand prix

Related

Max Verstappen

Verstappen tipped to ditch Red Bull for rival team

• December 13, 2024 19:00

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Verstappen hints at RACE BAN after FIA punishment

• December 8, 2024 22:00