Red Bull’s RB21 showed strong form in testing, with Marko confident past issues are resolved and Verstappen setting an impressive pace in Bahrain.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s advisor, has already warned his team’s rivals that last season’s issues have significantly improved, to the point where they might even be considered “resolved.”
Max Verstappen set the third-fastest time on the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, while Liam Lawson ranked eighth on the timesheet.
At the start of the first day, questions quickly arose about whether Red Bull’s 2025 car—the RB21—was truly different from its predecessor.
From the outside, Red Bull’s new car appeared to be an exact copy of last year’s model, much to Marko’s amusement.
“But it’s not the first race yet, huh? Maybe things will change.”
It was a very positive opening day for the Milton Keynes-based team, with Verstappen even being the fastest driver over long runs.
“The long runs were very competitive. Max was actually the fastest in these tests. The car is more predictable and responds normally. All the issues we had last year have been significantly improved, if not resolved.”
The improvements to the new Red Bull have left Verstappen highly satisfied, with Marko revealing that the 27-year-old driver already feels comfortable in the RB21.
“He says the car is more complex but seems to function more as a whole. And whatever changes he makes, the car always responds well.”
“During his fastest lap, Max had a slight moment, so he could have been even quicker. But the long runs were very impressive, and tire wear also looked good.”
Verstappen finished behind Lando Norris and George Russell in the standings. McLaren looked very strong, as did Mercedes, while Marko was surprised that Ferrari was not as competitive as he had expected.
“McLaren was very consistent and fast. The same goes for Mercedes. Ferrari was a bit disappointing; we expected more from them. But in any case, of course, there are still two days to go.”
“It’s much colder, which might also be why Mercedes is so fast.”
Marko was also asked about Liam Lawson’s first half-day with Red Bull.
“He did a good job. He just didn’t have the time to switch from hard to medium tires. I think he changed something on the car that didn’t work. Most gained between three and five-tenths, while he only gained one.”
“But in terms of the car, he is much more enthusiastic than Perez was.”
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RB21 Fixes? Marko Confident After Strong Test Start RB21 Fixes? Marko Confident After Strong Test Start RB21 Fixes? Marko Confident After Strong Test Start
