Oscar Piastri claims Max Verstappen and Red Bull were ‘SANDBAGGING’ during Bahrain FP1 and FP2 sessions

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were not seen setting the timing sheets alight during yesterday's running.

Oscar Piastri claims Max Verstappen and Red Bull were ‘SANDBAGGING’ during Bahrain FP1 and FP2 sessions

Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase (Via: Imago)

The 2024 F1 season has officially got underway with all the 20 cars rolling out in all their glory during yesterday’s Bahrain GP FP1 and FP2 sessions. While seeing the cars doing their thing was a sight to behold, Red Bull, surprisingly, wasn’t seen setting the timing sheets alight. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has come up with a fascinating point of view.

As per the young Australian, Max Verstappen and Co. were sandbagging during yesterday’s running. Oscar firmly believes that the Milton-Keynes-based team has immense speed that they did not unleash yesterday.

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While talking on the same lines with F1, after the two sessions, Piastri said, as reported by Motorsport:

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Red Bull don't look quite as quick as we thought, we'll see how many sandbags come off tomorrow, It's a lot closer than I expected. Mercedes looked quick, Fernando looked quick. It's always a bit hard to judge on a Friday, but I think we're sort of around the points.

Looking at the reaction, it is quite clear that Oscar Piastri is expecting Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to come out all guns blazing, especially during today’s Qualifying session. Moreover, he has also indicated that the fight during quali will be immensely tight between a few outfits.

Oscar Piastri feels McLaren is in a good position ahead of Qualifying

While Oscar Piastri has made it known that he is expecting Red Bull to do their mighty thing during the Bahrain GP qualifying session, he has also taken the time to shed light on where McLaren stands in comparison to other teams. Piastri ended his FP2 session in fifth place.

Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)

The 22-year-old while talking about it with F1, further added,

With the teams we're around, being near the podium or near 10th is very much a possibility, so hopefully we can stay near the front of that mix. Still a bit inconsistent and up and down, so it's hard to know exactly how we will fare but it looks a similar story for everyone.

The 2024 Bahrain GP is turning out to be a hard event to predict. After FP1 and FP2, the whole grid is all over the place with the Red Bulls slotting in the top 10, and the lights of Mercedes, leading the overall pack.

However, things could get a bit clearer as Red Bull will be expected to show their hand completely during the FP3 session. The first Qualifying session of the 2024 F1 season will be a fascinating watch from the point of view of the fans, the media, and also the 10 teams.

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