Marko: "The engine and Verstappen are ready for it"

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing's brand new car was shown for the first time on Wednesday morning. Max Verstappen will get the wheels spinning around Silverstone later today for a promotional shoot and a shakedown prior to the winter tests later in February. The entire team is present at Silverstone for filming purposes, including Helmut Marko.

The team adviser of the Austrian racing stable has indicated to Speedweek that Verstappen is ready for it: "We have no more excuses for 2020. The engine and Max are ready. For the first time, we were on the test bench 14 days earlier than usual. So we are entering the new season early with a great concept."

Because the team developed the car so incredibly smoothly, they had plenty of time to fine-tune everything. Last year, Marko targetted five wins. The RB15 only stood on the top step three times, with Verstappen picking up all the winners trophies.

Despite last year's target not being met, Marko has taken it up another notch. He wants Verstappen to be Lewis Hamilton's closest target. Anything else will be a fail.