7e9658ad7870bb415bf37570f5c9d2941c1ee0b5

Verstappen hails "promising" Red Bull race pace

13:42, 13 Apr 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has said that he's very happy with the team's race pace, as the Dutchman looks to bounce back this weekend in Shanghai after retiring early in Bahrain last weekend.

Verstappen had to settle for fifth in Friday's session, in both sessions before and after lunch. He was several tenths off the pace of number one Lewis Hamilton, who finished first in both sessions, but the Dutch youngster improved from six tenths to three in the second session. Overall, he's still confident about the race, and about the year in general.

"Our race simulation was promising," he said after Friday's sessions.

"Now, all we have to do is do some detail work on the set-up for qualifying to get a better vehicle balance, then we should be in good shape."

Red Bull's long-run pace has been hailed as one of the best ever since pre-season, but the Bulls haven't been able to showcase much of it yet during an actual race. The key now is reliability.

"It is always good to be able to complete a day without major worries and we're obviously not too far from the top.

"In our race pace, we don't look bad, and on this track, it's easier to overtake, so I think we can put in a good performance."