Formula 1

Verstappen’s initial thoughts on RB19’s unveiling

Published

1 month ago

11/02/2023

Max Verstappen hit the racetrack for the first time in 2023, driving Red Bull’s latest vehicle at Silverstone.

The reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, has expressed his initial thoughts after driving Red Bull’s latest 2023 Formula 1 car, the RB19.

Red Bull recently revealed its new car, or rather a close representation, in New York and concurrently announced its future engine collaboration with Ford.

The Milton Keynes-based team took advantage of one of its two permitted filming days, limited to 100 km on Pirelli control tires, to perform a comprehensive check of the RB19’s systems before traveling to Bahrain for pre-season testing.

On Friday, the two-time champion was at Silverstone for a test drive of the new car during one of Red Bull’s two designated filming days, during which they were permitted to conduct 100 km of testing.

The RB19 is the second 2023 car to make its track debut, following the unveiling of the Alfa Romeo C43 by Valtteri Bottas in Barcelona.

This is the car that Verstappen hopes will lead him to secure his third consecutive World Championship, after his impressive and dominant performances in 2021 and 2022.

And the Dutch driver was highly satisfied with his experience during the day’s driving session.

“I just took the RB19 for a spin, and it was a filming day, but it made for a great first impression,” Verstappen stated in a brief video shared on Red Bull’s Twitter page.

RB19 👉 Spotted in the wild 👀 pic.twitter.com/B7BOKdR56Q— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 10, 2023

“The day went incredibly well and everything was smooth, which is exactly what you want from a day like this. Now I’m incredibly excited to head to Bahrain for pre-season testing and the first race,” Verstappen continued.

This marked the first public appearance of the RB19, although it was a private event with no media or fans in attendance.

However, some dedicated fans made their way to Silverstone to capture the first glimpses of the RB19 in action.

Although it is difficult to distinguish the finer details of the car, it appears to be an evolution rather than a revolution by design chief Adrian Newey and his team, following the highly successful RB18 of 2022.