Max Verstappen’s rivals should be worried after what Red Bull insiders have said at Bahrain testing

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen didn’t top the time sheets on the first day of testing in Bahrain, but there’s still an argument to be made that he was the most impressive driver on track.

Current world champion Lando Norris was the only driver to beat Max Verstappen on Wednesday at the Bahrain International Circuit.

However, Verstappen stood out in Red Bull’s RB22 for a variety of reasons.

The Dutchman completed more laps than any other driver, and at the same time, Verstappen was perfecting a driving technique that could be essential to nailing the new regulations.

Day 1 in Bahrain and it’s Lando Norris on top! ⏱️

Whose lap time caught your eye the most? 👀

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He was dropping down into first gear on certain corners where his rivals were sticking to second gear to increase the revs and charge up his battery faster.

Toto Wolff suggested that Red Bull might be the fastest team in Bahrain after watching Verstappen on track.

But what Red Bull sources have shared about Verstappen’s mammoth day on track on Wednesday might worry his championship rivals.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Max Verstappen was concentrating on reliability despite setting P2 time in Bahrain testing

A report from De Limburger has shared more details about Verstappen’s first day in the RB22.

The distance that Verstappen covered stood out, but his lap times were also very eye-catching.

He was on a really fast lap right at the end of the day before backing off, possibly to avoid giving away too much to Red Bull’s rivals.

However, the report suggests that Red Bull ‘sources’ believe Verstappen wasn’t concentrating on outright pace.

Instead, he was ‘primarily occupied with gathering information and testing reliability’, which means he was likely nowhere near reaching the limits of what the RB22 can do.

After Wolff’s comments about Red Bull suddenly being the team to beat, one team member reportedly said in jest, “We might as well put the champagne on ice.”

Although Verstappen didn’t have any technical issues, Isack Hadjar’s start on Thursday was delayed by a hydraulic leak discovered while building up the car.

On top of this, Racing Bulls, who are also using the Red Bull Powertrains power unit, had problems with the engine on Wednesday.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Red Bull star Max Verstappen reflects on day one of Bahrain pre-season testing

Every driver on the grid is well aware of what a threat Verstappen is, and few will be surprised that he managed those lap times even when he wasn’t concentrating on one-lap pace.

On top of this, his lap times were incredibly consistent, suggesting that he wasn’t saving his battery power just to try and set a one-off quicker time.

Reflecting on his first day of action in his official post-session debrief, Verstappen said: “We had a good day today; we got in a lot of laps and tested different programmes.

“Red Bull Ford Powertrains is still a completely new project, compared to others, so there is so much to keep learning and figuring out ahead of the first race.

“We went through a lot of testing procedures that we might run into during a race weekend: this might be more straightforward for a Power Unit manufacturer who have been in the game a long time, but when you are new, you need to test it all.

“Of course, we also did a lot of normal running. Everyone is running completely different programmes, so we are not focusing on lap times and the standings, but instead focusing on understanding the car and the tyres.

“It is a completely different track compared to Barcelona, so it is good to have that comparison. Looking at the day, it was all okay, and we didn’t run into trouble, which was the most important thing, so I can now look to Friday for what else we can learn.”