Verstappen happy with fewer test days: 'Hope I don't run into any problems'

With fewer test days and more Grands Prix, every minute on track is a lot more important than in other years. Data will be one of the most important factors for the season ahead, so this weekend will be an important point for a number of teams to draw conclusions about upgrades they have designed over the winter. Red Bull Racing will also be keen to get out on the track this Friday.

Max Verstappen gets to drive the RB16B all day immediately on that Friday, at the circuit where on 26-28 March is also the first Grand Prix. "I’m always excited for race weekends but first we have the three test days in Bahrain and so it’s going to be important to get a lot of miles on the car and get comfortable with it, so you can start the first race weekend as best prepared as you can be," the Dutchman told Red Bull's site.

Ready for the new season

Verstappen will have to share the car with Sergio Perez, so both drivers will get the same amount of time on track. "Yeah, it’s going to be short – one and a half days each for the drivers – but I like that. I thought six days was a lot, I mean, I love driving Formula 1 cars but there’s no competition to it. I’m fine with one and a half days. Of course, I hope the one and a half days I have run smoothly."

It will be a key step towards a potentially successful season, in which Verstappen and Red Bull have 23 races to end Mercedes' dominance before new rules in 2022 will ensure a more level playing field. "Twenty-three is a lot of races. Let’s see how it goes and let’s hope the calendar will be run as normal and not as compressed as last year," the Dutchman concluded.