Red Bull set a strong pace on the Saudi GP’s first day, with Verstappen and Pérez confident for the weekend.
The opening day of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix posed no concerns for Red Bull, as they led the first session of the weekend. In the second practice, Max Verstappen secured third place, yet the Bahrain GP winner from last week appears unfazed in his pursuit of competitive lap times.
“Overall, it was quite good. Of course, in the first practice, it was a bit slippery, but they prepared the circuit rather well. It wasn’t too dirty.”
“The pace during the second free practice was pretty solid, both on short and long runs. We learned a lot more. There’s always room to improve on a single lap, but some teams are also increasing their power, similar to Bahrain. That needs to be considered. As for race pace, it looked promising.”
Red Bull’s Confident Outlook
Asked about his outlook for the upcoming qualifying session, he adds: “I feel pretty confident about it, but it’s going to be close again. I believe other teams might have a slight edge over us in one lap, but our car comes alive during the race.”
In the other RB20, Sergio Pérez finished fifth, bolstering the reigning champions’ confidence as favorites for the season’s second round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
“I believe we’re in a strong position with the car and performance, making Thursday very positive. We just need to make some adjustments, but I’m pleased with where we’ve positioned the car, understanding what we need for tomorrow.”
“We have a clear idea of the direction to make the car quicker, and if we achieve this, it will benefit us in both long runs and qualifying. I’m very happy with today.”
“The focus is to get everything right for qualifying, that’s the main goal, and we’ll see what we’re capable of. Sector 1 is incredibly fast and can be intimidating with traffic, so clean laps tomorrow are crucial. I’m looking forward to Friday.”
Verstappen Unfazed by Strong Saudi Start F1 2024. Verstappen Unfazed by Strong Saudi Start F1 2024
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