'Excited' Max Verstappen delivers first impression of Red Bull's RB19 ahead of Bahrain testing: "Everything worked really well"

Max Verstappen took the new Red Bull RB19 for a spin on the team's filming day in Silverstone. The Dutch driver is now a two-time world champion and will be looking to defend his title this season.

The new car was revealed during the team's car launch (well, sort of) in early February in New York. When asked to give his feedback on how the new car behaved, Verstappen was quite positive as he said that he couldn't wait to go to Bahrain. He said:

“I’ve just driven the RB19 for the first time. It was a good first impression. Everything worked really well. Everything went really smooth, so that’s exactly what you want from a day like this and I am now of course very excited to go to Bahrain.”

In a recent interview, Max Verstappen revealed that he wasn't sure he would be in F1 once his contract expires. He said:

“The problem is that we are traveling so much and it’s getting more and more … basically, the question is, ‘Is it worth it to spend so much time away from family and friends by chasing more success?’ And I mean, I already achieved everything I wanted in Formula One. But I know I have a contract until 2028. I’ll be 31. It’s still pretty young, but like I said, I also want to do different things in life.”

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Max Verstappen's take on the FIA's ban on drivers making political statements

Max Verstappen was recently questioned for his take on the FIA's ban on drivers making political statements. The Red Bull driver felt that something like this should be left to the drivers and they shouldn't be stopped from speaking their minds. He said:

"Personally, everyone's different. Some are more outspoken than others, I'm normally not outspoken about that because first of all, it's tough as a racing driver to be fully committed on that in terms of going into everything and making sure you know all the facts right."

He added:

"But I don't think it is necessary. In a way, you're basically making sure that people aren't allowed to speak anymore. I think we should be allowed because some people will speak a bit more, some not. But it was probably a bit unnecessary, yeah."

Verstappen will be hoping to defend his title this season as he faces a stern test from drivers like Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc.