Verstappen's reaction to Day 1 in Bahrain: 'Surprised how fast it is'

Max Verstappen can be satisfied after a dominant first day of testing in Bahrain. The Dutchman reports that everything felt right as he put in his first miles at the Bahrain International Circuit. And there were quite a few: with 143 laps, he drove more than anyone else.

Verstappen upbeat after first day of testing Bahrain

Verstappen topped the timesheet for almost the whole day. The Red Bull Racing driver takes stock. "It's nice to be back. I also think we had a good day. We were able to do a lot of laps, and with the car, we were able to try out quite a lot of things, so I'm very happy overall," Verstappen told Verstappen.com.

He continued: "All in all, happy to be back in a Formula 1 car. The first few laps you are surprised how fast it is compared to everyone else. And yes, I had a lot of fun today. I was very happy with how the car reacted; the balance was very good. It's only a test, but we had a good day."

Verstappen will also return to action on Thursday. While Sergio Perez will cover his first kilometres of the winter test in the morning session, Verstappen will take the afternoon. On Friday, Perez will drive all day, and Verstappen will sit on the sidelines but will be a guest at the press conference.