Verstappen favourite
Anyone who hopes that Max Verstappen can also experience another crazy Formula 1 season in 2023 has reason to smile after last weekend’s winter test. It is still early days, but things are looking good for the Dutchman and his team, Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen is confidently chasing his third consecutive world title in Formula 1. The recent test days in Bahrain strengthened his conviction that Red Bull has built a fast and reliable car for the coming, long season. “The car responded well to everything we did. I’m really happy with the testing period, every time I jumped in the car I felt comfortable and I was able to push straight away,” he concluded after 204 virtually trouble-free laps around the track from Sakhir. Verstappen was not the only one who spoke positively about the RB19. Almost everyone who is involved in the premier class of motorsport in any way saw a strong Red Bull and immediately labeled the Dutchman as the top favorite in the championship.
Judging by the test days, the pecking order seems about the same as last year. Ferrari (with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz) and Mercedes (with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell) will be Red Bull’s biggest challengers, but Aston Martin may join them. Aston Martin is even tipped by various journalists and others in the paddock as the third team, so behind Ferrari and ahead of Mercedes. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also sees Aston Martin getting closer: “They have really made a big step forward. It looks like Aston Martin has found the right design for its car. They are not too far away from us and Fernando Alonso in particular looks very combative.”
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl