“Everything under control,” Max Verstappen gives verdict after first day at preseason testing

Max Verstappen reckoned that the Red Bull RB21 provided only positive surprises during his first preseason session.

“Everything under control,” Max Verstappen gives verdict after first day at preseason testing

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Via Imago)

2025 is a crucial year for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. After facing stiff competition last season, the reigning world champion needs to get back to dominating the field. Now, Verstappen has spoken up on his first day of preseason testing in Bahrain.

The Dutch driver took the Red Bull RB21 for a spin in the afternoon session of day 1. Previously, team boss Christian Horner has asserted that the team has tried to fix the vices of its predecessor with the 2025 car. Max Verstappen had smooth sailing during the session and completed 74 laps, four more than Lewis Hamilton.

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Verstappen reckoned that things were good during his running on-track. Moreover, the four-time world champion claimed that he was met with only positive surprises with the car. He admitted that it remained unclear how the team would stack up against the competition. However, the 27-year-old asserted that everything was under control in the Red Bull garage.

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In terms of driving, everything felt good. Only good surprises, so that’s positive. We don’t know yet where we are in terms of pace, but everything works well and the car does what I want. We have everything under control.

Max Verstappen told Red Bull

Max Verstappen and Red Bull ready to learn in Bahrain

Preseason testing provides an opportunity for drivers and teams to familiarize themselves with the new cars. Max Verstappen highlighted that he and Red Bull will be looking to experiment with the RB21 and learn how the car fares with different set-ups. Moreover, the 27-year-old insisted that he was not focused on putting a perfect lap time to get ahead in the timesheets.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via Formula 1)
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via Formula 1)

We constantly learn and try different things. We will continue to do so. It’s not about driving the perfect lap, but working on our test program and learning in which direction to develop the car to get it under control.

Max Verstappen explained

Certainly, Max Verstappen and Red Bull will be face the pressure to perform this year. The four-time world champion will hope that the 2025 challenger is as fast as the team expects it to be. However, fans will need to wait till the end of the test to get a clearer picture of Milton Keynes’ position compared to the competition.