Tag: max verstappen

Max Verstappen Fastest in Testing, Mercedes Have Work To Do

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Formula One teams wrapped up three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Sunday with Max Verstappen fastest for Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda close behind in a one-two for Honda-powered cars.

Mercedes and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, recognised they had plenty of work to do before the season starts at the same Sakhir circuit on March 28.

Mexican Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s new team mate, had been top of the morning session with a best lap of one minute 30.187 seconds on soft tyres. Verstappen took over after lunch and produced a best time of 1:28.960.

It was the second time he had topped the end of day timesheets after setting the pace on Friday.

“In general I would say the car feels good and I’m looking forward to going racing,” said Verstappen, winner of the last race of 2020.

The Dutch youngster said before he got in the car that he thought Mercedes were still the favourites but, if so, the dominant champions of the past seven years were hiding any advantage.

Hamilton was only fifth fastest and just quicker than compatriot George Russell who did nearly three times as many laps in the Williams — 157 to Hamilton’s 54. Sunday was Russell’s first day in the car.

The older Briton seemed to struggle to get a stable lap together, spinning late on.

“We’ve had issues in recent years with pace in winter testing and managed to make good progress before the first race but we may have our work cut out this time,” said Mercedes trackside engineering head Andrew Shovlin.

He said the car was more predictable on high fuel loads but “we can see from the data we’ve collected over the last few days that on race pace, we’re not as quick as Red Bull.”

EYE-CATCHING TSUNODA

Tsunoda was the name that caught the eye with the Japanese rookie just 0.093 slower than Verstappen as he completed 91 laps for the Red Bull sister team.

Ferrari, gathering strength again after their worst season in 40 years, had Carlos Sainz third overall despite an hydraulics issue after Charles Leclerc was second in the morning. The pair managed 159 laps between them.

“When we were here last year in Bahrain for the race and for qualifying we have been very slow on the straights,” said Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.

“Now… I think at least on the straights the speed is alright. It doesn’t seem to be such a disadvantage as it was last year.”

Kimi Raikkonen, in the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo, did more laps than anyone — 165.

Valtteri Bottas opened the session for Mercedes and was seventh fastest when he handed over to Hamilton, with 84 laps completed.

The Finn felt the team had made up ground after a difficult opening Friday when he had managed only six laps due to a gearbox problem.

“I feel like we made a decent recovery,” Bottas told reporters.

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F1: ‘Different animal’ Verstappen tops F1 testing as Tsunoda makes mark | Racing News – Times of India

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SAKHIR: World champion Lewis Hamilton saw Max Verstappen top the times in Formula One testing on Sunday and predicted the Dutch star’s Red Bull team will be “a different animal” when the season starts in two weeks’ time.
Verstappen, who was third behind Hamilton and the Briton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the 2020 championship, timed a best lap of 1:28.960 on Sunday.
That proved to be the fastest time of the three-day session.
However, rookie Yuki Tsunoda, the first Japanese driver to compete in Formula One since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, also laid down a marker.
His time on Sunday of 1:29.053 in his AlphaTauri was the second best overall of the week.
Verstappen had also topped the charts on Friday on the opening day at the dusty Sakhir circuit which will also stage the season opener on March 28.
“They are looking strong,” said seven-time champion Hamilton.
“They’re going to be a different machine or animal this year with, I think, a really good, strong line-up for two drivers and a really good car.”
However, Hamilton insisted he was unconcerned as Verstappen had won the last race of 2020 in Abu Dhabi and had momentum on his side.
“Having seen them winning the last race you can only assume they’re going to be right there if not at the front, at the first race.
“It’s going to be a great, long battle with them through the year,” he added.
Verstappen, too, was keen to douse expectations that this could be the year that Red Bull break Mercedes’ stranglehold.
“I don’t think we are the favourites,” Verstappen said.
Carlos Sainz, in a Ferrari, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton rounded out the top five on Sunday in what also proved to be their top times of the week.
Third and final day times:
1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull-Honda) 1:28.960 (64 laps), 2. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/Alpha Tauri-Honda) 1:29.053 (91), 3. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 1:29.611 (79), 4. Kimi Raikkonen (ITA/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1:29.766 (166), 5. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:30.025 (54), 6. George Russell (GBR/Williams-Mercedes) 1:30.117 (158), 7. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:30.144 (76), 8. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull-Honda) 1:30.187 (49), 9. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1:30.318 (128), 10. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:30.486 (80), 11. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:30.661 (56), 12. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpha Tauri-Honda) 1:30.828 (76), 13. Esteban Ocon (FRA-Alpine/Renault) 1:31.310 (61), 14. Nikita Mazepin (RUS/Haas-Ferrari) 1:31.531 (67), 15. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1:32.053 (78), 16. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:32.406 (86), 17. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:35.041 (56), 18. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:36.100 (80)

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Christian Horner Sees Max Verstappen as a Top Target for Mercedes

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Max Verstappen will be the top target for Mercedes once seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton decides to retire, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Asked on Monday whether he expected the champions to be “sniffing around” for his 23-year-old Dutch driver as a possible replacement for the Briton, Horner had no doubt they would be interested.

“I’m sure that should Lewis decide to stop, then Max will naturally be the driver at the top of the list. But they also have George Russell, they’ve also got other drivers available to them,” he told reporters.

Horner said ultimately it would come down to relationships and producing a winning car, with new rules and a fresh start for all in 2022. Mercedes will again start this year as favourites.

“Of course, as there has always been, there is an element of performance related to Max’s contract,” said the team boss, who described the relationship with Verstappen — winner of two races last year — as very strong.

“I’m confident that we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses. It will ultimately be down to us to deliver a competitive car, that’s what he wants and that’s what we want.”

Red Bull announced on Monday that they will take on departing Honda’s technology and run their own engines from 2022.

Horner said Verstappen believed in the project and could see the investment Red Bull were making.

Hamilton has signed only a one-year extension to his contract with Mercedes, triggering speculation that the 36-year-old may walk away at the end of a year that could bring him a record eighth title.

Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until 2023 but much will depend on the team’s performance meeting his expectations.

The youngster finished third overall last year, best of the rest after Hamilton and Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas, and has won 10 of his 119 races to date.

Britain’s Russell, the 2018 Formula Two champion, races for Williams but has a long-term Mercedes contract and stood in for Hamilton in Bahrain last year when his compatriot tested positive for COVID-19.



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