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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen will now have an idea of how competitive the RB22 is heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The week-long shakedown test in Barcelona gave teams a glimpse of where 10 of the 11 cars are sitting in the pecking order, with Williams missing out altogether.
However, nobody would have shown their full hand yet, although Red Bull will be pleased with how their initial outings went at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Max Verstappen completed plenty of laps on the final day, and the new Red Bull Powertrains power unit appeared to work without any glaring issues.
Lewis Hamilton led the way in Barcelona but the gaps were tight!
Who impressed you most in the shakedown? ⬇️
Unfortunately, Isack Hadjar’s crash on day two set Red Bull back, and they had to fly emergency spare parts into Barcelona in order to complete the shakedown.
Now, both drivers are looking forward to the 2026 season starting properly in Australia, even if there are still six more days of testing to be done in Bahrain.
Verstappen has made a prediction about one driver who he would like to see score his maiden F1 podium, and he doesn’t currently drive for either Red Bull-backed team.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Max Verstappen wants to see Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto secure his first F1 podium in 2026
Both Verstappen and Hadjar were asked on Instagram who would score an unexpected podium in 2026, to which the French driver said, “Not me, not you, hopefully!”
Verstappen continued: “They should be expected. I would like to see Gabi [Bortoleto] on the podium.”
What chance do you give Gabriel Bortoleto of living up to Max Verstappen’s prediction this season?
They were then asked which race was going to have the most overtakes, to which Verstappen jokingly said: “Monaco!”
Hadjar answered: “I think Monza is going to be lots of them. You can overtake, and then go back on the same straight! Monza, easily.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Gabriel Bortoleto, including ties to Fernando Alonso
Where does Max Verstappen’s relationship with Gabriel Bortoleto come from?
On the face of it, Verstappen and Gabriel Bortoleto being close friends seems rather unusual.
The Brazilian is seven years younger than the four-time world champion, and they never raced against each other in real life before Formula 1.
However, Bortoleto is a keen sim racer like Verstappen and has taken part in events alongside the Dutchman virtually.
Bortoleto has admitted learning from Verstappen in the past, and the 28-year-old has even offered him advice before races, including what tyres to be on.
Verstappen even tried to get Bortoleto a seat within the Red Bull set-up earlier in his career, but that never materialised.
Instead, the 21-year-old’s mentor, Fernando Alonso, helped pave the way into McLaren’s junior academy before his move to Sauber last year.
Red Bull have struggled to find a teammate worthy of living up to Verstappen’s extremely high standards in recent years.
If it doesn’t work out for Hadjar, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bortoleto ended up on Red Bull’s radar, given his prior relationship with the Dutchman.
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