Max Verstappen to miss first day of final Bahrain testing with Red Bull

The Dutchman is set to make his first appearance on Thursday, when he will run for the full day. Verstappen will also return to the car on Friday afternoon, while team-mate Isack Hadjar is scheduled to cover the entire opening day of the test.

It will mark Formula 1’s second test week in Bahrain. Last week, Verstappen ran on the opening day while Hadjar observed from the garage, before the Frenchman took over for the full Thursday.

Testing duties were then split across the final day, with Verstappen completing the morning session and leaving the circuit while his team-mate continued running in the afternoon.

Over the course of the week, the Dutchman logged just under 200 laps and finished seventh on the combined timesheets. His best lap was more than a second adrift of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who topped the times. Even so, the overall picture suggested Red Bull still have a package capable of fighting at the front next season.