Verstappen downplays Red Bull lap times at Bahrain testing
Photo: Race Pictures
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Max Verstappen has seemingly downplayed the idea that Red Bull have set the early benchmark in the 2026 F1 season.
After the morning session on Day 1 of Bahrain testing, Toto Wolff claimed Verstappen's Red Bull had a one second pace advantage down the straights of the Bahrain International Circuit.
Verstappen racked up the most miles out of anyone on Day 1, running both sessions for a total of 136 laps and achieving a 1:34.798 lap time, just 0.13 seconds behind leader Norris.
Meanwhile, the quickest Mercedes time was achieved by George Russell in sixth - a 1:36.108.
Verstappen reflects on Bahrain testing
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Photo: Race Pictures
Verstappen said after the session: "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."
Then, the four-time world champion explained why Red Bull are purely focused on their own lap times.
He continued: "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.
"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."
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The next time Verstappen is in action will be on Friday for the final day of Bahrain testing one, with Isack Hadjar set to run all day tomorrow in the RB22.
"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," Verstappen concluded.
Verstappen's ruthless consistency catches the eye
Another thing that would have caught the attention of many in the paddock was Verstappen's sheer consistency in laps. Before the lunch break, the Dutchman had already completed more than a Grand Prix distance.
Read for more analysis on Verstappen's first day of Bahrain testing.
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