Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's 2023 Bahrain pre-season testing schedules revealed

Red Bull have revealed Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's testing schedules for the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain. The Dutchman will drive the RB19 on Thursday and Friday afternoon (23 and 24 February), while Perez will take the wheel on Friday morning and Saturday (24 and 25 February).

Pre-season testing in Bahrain will be the first time most 2023 F1 cars make it to the track. The event will give fans a rough idea of how teams have developed their cars, including the different philosophies chosen by them.

Red Bull will head into the upcoming season as the defending champions, with Max Verstappen hoping for a third consecutive drivers' title.

The Dutchman won 15 races in the 2022 season, making the RB18 the best car on the grid by a longshot. This time around, however, the Austrian team have been slapped on the wrist with a reprimand from the sport for allegedly breaching the 2021 cost cap.

It will be interesting to see how this reprimand affects their 2023 challenger, the RB19.

Meanwhile, Mercedes and Ferrari are also touted to be title contenders in the new season, with their respective challengers, the W14 and the SF23. Pre-season testing in Bahrain will show us if Mercedes have built a car capable of fighting for wins from the very start.

Max Verstappen lauded by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase

Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has acknowledged that the Dutchman is really easy to work with. Lambiase, also known as GP, has played a crucial role in helping the 25-year-old become the formidable driver he is today.

Max Verstappen himself has claimed in the past that he can't see himself in the sport without Lambiase, who works behind the scenes. Lambiase is the individual who gives the Red Bull driver all the information and data he needs.

GP claims the two-time world champion has the perfect mix of an analytical yet natural feel for racing. Lambiase explained in the Red Bulletin Heroes Verstappen Edition magazine:

“The relationship between a driver and a race engineer is based on mutual trust. The more direct a driver is, the more he trusts the team. My experience is that if a driver stops giving his honest opinion about the car and starts circling it, the results get worse. Max is direct, but so am I. That makes working with him very open, honest, and easy.”

Lambiase continued:

“Some drivers want to get to the bottom of the data, while others don't want to be involved at all. And then there's Max. He explains very precisely where he can push the car to the limit and what exactly he needs to drive faster.

Only time will tell whether GP can help Verstappen to win his third consecutive title in the sport.