Sainz is deeply impressed by Verstappen and Red Bull and sees a huge lead

When asked by GPblog whether he agrees with the assessment of the Mercedes team boss—who, in response to a question from this site as well, indicated that Red Bull Racing currently sets the benchmark on the power unit front—Sainz answers in the affirmative. “It’s still extremely early, but if I have to judge based on yesterday’s GPS data, then it’s true that what Red Bull Ford Powertrains showed is clearly a step ahead of everyone. And not a small step, but a truly clear advantage,” he says.

It’s written all over the face of Verstappen’s former teammate: he speaks with full admiration about the performance of the Austrian F1 team.

“If they manage to show up right at the start, with completely new regulations, a completely new engine, and new people, with the fastest and most reliable power unit, then you have to tip your hat and say: what they have achieved is very, very impressive,” Sainz concludes.

With that, the Williams driver aligns himself with the analysis of Wolff, who already emphasized on the first day of testing that Red Bull’s energy deployment and consistency stood out in particular. Although both men say it is still early to draw definitive conclusions, the combination of Red Bull, Verstappen, and the new Red Bull Ford engine already seems to be making a strong impression in the paddock after day one in Bahrain.