New face' at Red Bull pit wall suits Verstappen well: 'Very pleasant'

"Overall, today was quite straightforward and we didn’t have any major issues. In terms of speed, we had too much understeer in the car, both during the short and the long runs, so that’s something we need to try to get rid of for tomorrow," said the 4-time worldchampion.

"I think so far it has been a very good day with Simon. I’ve known him for a long time from the other side of the garage and from working together in the simulator. He has a lot of experience, so it was really good today. He is direct and that was pleasant," concluded Verstappen.

During the first free practice of the weekend, Verstappen finished in P2 on the timesheet, with George Russell in his Mercedes being the fastest driver. During the second practice session of the racing weekend in Austria, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the two drivers ahead of Verstappen in the world championship, were slightly faster than the Dutchman. Verstappen was nonetheless ‘best of the rest’ and finished in third place.