Red Bull claim "hard work over the winter has really paid off" after successful Day 1 at 2023 Bahrain pre-season test

Gianpiero Lambiase, Head of Race Engineering at Red Bull, believes that their successful first day of testing is a testament to the hard work that has gone into the car over the winter.

The British engineer expressed his satisfaction with the smooth run on the first day, highlighting that there were no reliability issues to report.

Speaking after the first day of the test in a team report, Lambiase said:

"Today was a promising start to the 2023 season as we were able to complete the planned program without major reliability concerns."

"Everyone's hard work over the winter has really paid off as the car hit the ground running in terms of balance, and we were able to concentrate on testing various broader aerodynamic and mechanical configurations to better understand the new platform as well as the subtlety modified tire construction."

Max Verstappen completed an impressive 157 laps on the Red Bull RB19, the highest number of laps recorded on the first day of testing. Lambiase expressed his satisfaction with the team's smooth run and the absence of any teething issues, which allowed them to gain a better understanding of the car.

The British engineer revealed that they were able to gather valuable data on the tires and improve the car's balance from their aerodynamic test program throughout the day.

The Red Bull engineer said:

"We will continue to focus on ourselves and ensure we are as prepared for the first race as we can be by following a similar method over the next two days."

"There’s plenty of data analysis to do this evening, and then we look forward to Checo experiencing his first taste of the RB19 tomorrow. For Max, he has just four hours remaining before his season kicks off, so he needs to recover well overnight."

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Max Verstappen is satisfied with the Red Bull RB19 after a solid first day of testing

Max Verstappen expressed satisfaction with his first run on the Red Bull RB19, describing it as smooth and problem-free. The Dutch champion covered a distance equivalent to three races, underlining the car's reliability and agility.

Verstappen also set the fastest lap of the day, recording a time of 1 minute 32.837 seconds and topping the timesheets for the majority of the session. Although it is difficult to estimate the pace of his rivals at this early stage, Verstappen's impressive mileage and lap time provide a promising start to the testing period.

Describing the performance of the Red Bull RB19 after a solid first day, the Dutchman said:

"We had a good day today. We completed a lot of laps which is what we wanted - almost three Grand Prix’s worth. It was also a smooth day; we barely had any issues, and we could really focus on the car and try a few things."

"We had a lot of good running throughout the day when it was hot and sunny and also in the evening, which is more representative. It’s nice to see how the car has evolved from last year."

He further added:

"The behavior is a bit different because of the tires, but otherwise, we are happy. It’s difficult to tell how the car will perform this season through one day of testing, the car is running well, and that’s the most important thing. I’ll be running again tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll be trying out different compounds and seeing what else we can learn before the race next week."

While the Red Bull RB19 has not undergone a drastic livery change or significant modifications, it is considered to be more of an evolution of its predecessor, the RB18. The Milton Keynes-based team has previously confirmed that they have managed to reduce the car's weight significantly compared to the RB18, which was deemed to be overweight during the preseason test last year.