SAKHIR, Bahrain – Reigning world champion Max Verstappen sent a signal of intent to his rivals on the final day of preseason testing by setting the fastest lap time of the week by over half a second.
Red Bull brought a significant upgrade package to its RB18 car for the final day of the test on Saturday, and in the evening Verstappen started to explore its potential.
As the sun set over the Bahrain International Circuit, the Dutch driver upped his pace incrementally as he cycled through Pirelli’s softest tyre compounds, lowering his lap time to a 1:31.720 on the C5 compound under the floodlights.
Verstappen’s best effort was 0.695s faster than any other driver during the test, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc coming closest with a 1:32.415 on the slightly harder C4 compound tyre.
Max Verstappen lay down a marker in the newly upgraded Red Bull on Saturday evening. Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Test times are not always an indicator of true performance ahead of a new…
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