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Max Verstappen believes his Red Bull car and team are in a good place as they head towards the season-opening 2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old comes into the new campaign off the back of his maiden world title in 2021. He is excited to focus on racing after pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain.
During an interview ahead of the race weekend at the Sakhir Circuit, Max Verstappen said:
“We learnt a lot at testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, I’m very excited to turn our attention to racing now, it’s a whole new era for the sport and anything can happen. The focus is to bring the grid together and make it easier to follow, I hope we see that in the first race. Everything is so new so there are a lot of unknowns heading into the first race of the season. I’m looking forward to seeing where we are compared to the rest of the grid come qualifying on Saturday.”
The Dutchman was also full of praise for the instrument of his title defense, the new Red Bull RB18. Verstappen added, saying:
“The car looks good and as a team, we are in a good place. The most important thing for us in Bahrain is to have a stable weekend without too many issues and we hope to score a good amount of points.”
Max Verstappen's aggressive driving style makes him popular, claims Christian Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has defended Max Verstappen's aggressive on-track persona and driving style, claiming these qualities make him popular.
During an interview with the BBC in the United Kingdom, Horner backed the reigning world champion, who penned a deal with the team until 2028, by saying:
“Max [Verstappen] is an aggressive driver. And his driving style has been one of the reasons he was voted the most popular driver in Formula 1. You always know he’s going to give 110%. I think his driving style was very mature last season (2021). Let’s not forget that others also make mistakes. There are other drivers who also do aggressive actions. But yes, Max is an aggressive driver, it’s in his DNA. He always looks for the limits and learns from his own experiences or mistakes. There is no doubt in my mind about that.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen and Red Bull have appeared to be balanced in the eyes of F1 pundit Will Buxton. It remains to be seen how their form from pre-season translates when the lights go out on Sunday in Bahrain.
