Verstappen happy with first meters in RB18: 'Got good first impression'

Max Verstappen already drove his first meters with the new RB18 during a film day at the Silverstone circuit. In a press release from Red Bull Racing, the Dutchman gives his first reaction to that experience.

Red Bull's secret

Red Bull Racing kept it well hidden that it was doing a film day at the Silverstone circuit. Eventually some (vague) photos and videos leaked out, but the competition didn't get much wiser from the film day. In Barcelona, the competition will only see the new RB18 for the first time, but Verstappen has already had a day with the car.

''We got our first impression of the RB18 at our filming day last week and the car looks good. The rules are very different this year and so it is nice to get your first few laps in and get a feel for it. I don’t have any aims for the season yet, I just want to rock up to the track and try and do the best I can, like I do every single year.''

Verstappen is confident

''If the car is quick, I am sure we can do a very good job again. I am looking forward to another fun year together with the Team and Checo, he is a great guy and we really push each other, which at the end of the day is good for the Team'', said the Dutchman.

The 100 kilometers for the film day were driven entirely by Verstappen, leaving Sergio Perez to wait until Thursday for his first meters in the RB18. The Mexican is starting his second season for Red Bull Racing in which he hopes to get closer to his teammate. Although he was not yet in the car, he already made meters in the simulator.

No first impression for Perez

''The RB18 looks really nice and very cool, you can see straight away the amount of work which has gone into this car. The number of hours the men and women back at the factory have put in to get the RB18 on track is incredible. I am feeling confident within myself for this season and so I hope we have a good package this year, I can’t wait to get going in Barcelona.''

"This season I want us to maximise our performance as a Team and to win, that is the main target for 2022. I think the key to succeeding under the new regulations will be how quickly teams can develop and how much they can improve throughout the season. You can see in the new cars how teams have interpreted the rules so differently, so it will be interesting come the first race to see which car is best," concludes the Red Bull driver.