MAX VERSTAPPEN Morning Session
– Laps 61, Best Time: 1:35.341 “Looking at the test overall, the Team got in a good number of laps on the first day so we were happy with that. We completed a lot of things that we wanted to test with the new Power Unit and the car in general.
Today it was a continuation of that plus also trying to explore a little bit more with the car; you go through so many test items that it continues to change and evolve with everything that you are testing. In general, it is all so new that we are still learning a lot, but the car was good. We also have new tyres, so we spent some time looking at different sets and understanding what we need to improve and be better at.
With the power unit, looking at the laps we got on the board, the start that we have had is good. That’s exactly what we wanted to do and it was not a given. Whether it will be enough to win races, we don’t know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can, but there is still massive room for improvement. Finally, with the car, we learnt a lot about what worked and what didn’t. Our runs also gave us even more ideas for the afternoon with Isack and then for next week, where we can continue to try new things and different set ups.”
ISACK HADJAR Afternoon Session
– Laps 59, Best Time: 1:35.610 “The first week here in Bahrain has gone well. Of course, I had to wait a little before getting in the car after Barcelona, but once I did, we were able to put it to the test and really work through what we need ahead of next week and Melbourne. There are so many things to look at, but we’re staying on track with our programme so far.
True performance and pace are always hard to judge in pre-season, but we can be happy with the reliability we’ve had from the power unit this week. There are still things to 1 / 2 work on in terms of balance and tyre management, but that’s completely normal for this time of year. We’re working through it together as a Team to get where we want to be for Australia. I’ve known the people here for a while now, but it’s great to be working with them again in an environment like this.”
PIERRE WACHE Technical Director
“It has been a positive week, running a full day with Max, with plenty of testing time as we worked on understanding the car and the direction to go in with the power unit.
Unfortunately, on day two we had some problems with the hydraulics on the chassis side, which compromised Isack’s running in the morning but we were able to recover this in the afternoon. This morning with Max we evaluated set-ups and saw some good direction and this was similar with Isack this afternoon, so it’s been quite positive with the mileage done this week. We need to make sure the car continues to develop a lot more to improve the issue on the balance side and we know that there is a lot of room for improvement.
Our drivers are very motivated and have given us a lot of feedback on where we can improve the car and how we can change the direction of development. In general, Red Bull Ford Powertrains has done a remarkable job as a start-up; in three and a half years we have created a power unit and have it out running on track, which is fantastic. The second step is to see where we are sitting compared to others and improve. There were a few teams which were clearly very quick today and it looks like we are behind, so there is still a lot to improve. Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari are there at the top.
It is a massive learning curve, there are plenty of unknowns and a lot to do. We have been evaluating our weaknesses and strengths and are just focusing on improving the car. We go into next week looking at what we can bring to the car to make it better and solve the issues we have identified.”
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