Liam Lawson was the first to drive Red Bull’s RB21 F1 car as pre-season testing got underway in Bahrain. Lawson was selected for the morning slot, with Max Verstappen taking over in the afternoon.
Lawson will then enjoy the whole of day two behind the wheel, at which point his winter will come to an end. Verstappen will have the car to himself for the final eight hours on Friday.
The New Zealander has arrived as a replacement for Sergio Perez, who partnered Verstappen for all four of his title-winning seasons to date. He graduates from Racing Bulls, so should theoretically enjoy the upgrade.
Verstappen repeatedly complained about the handling of the car during his 10-race winning run last season. Red Bull won four of the first five races in dominant fashion, but the consensus is that the RB20 became difficult to drive later in the year.
Christian Horner’s squad have raised eyebrows by making few obvious changes to last year’s car. There haven’t been any significant tweaks to the regulations, but McLaren and Ferrari have perhaps taken more risks.
It’s possible that the most important evolution has taken place beneath the bodywork. And it should be noted too that Red Bull finished the season relatively strong with Verstappen’s wins in Brazil and Qatar.
Liam Lawson has already indicated Red Bull handling issues
The best lap time in pre-season testing last year was a high 1:29 from then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. At the start of day one this year, even the quickest drivers were still a couple of seconds away from that benchmark.
That’s likely a sign that they aren’t pushing flat-out. But Lawson and co. were still able to draw some early conclusions about the handling of their cars.
According to Sky Italy, Lawson ‘mimed’ to his Red Bull engineers that he was experiencing oversteer issues as he lapped the Sakhir circuit. It was his second outing in the 2025 challenger after a shakedown on Tuesday.
Dutch F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg says Verstappen ‘hated’ the oversteer he faced last year. The car would typically be unstable at the rear on entry and exit, and also refuse to comply on turn-in.
Ted Kravitz makes surprising claim about Max Verstappen boos at F1 75
Verstappen will be concerned by Lawson’s early feedback, but he’ll also be relieved to be back on track. The year started with the F1 75 event in London, and the Dutchman didn’t appear to enjoy himself.
The 27-year-old has repeatedly shown a disdain for the ‘show’ surrounding the sport. And this was one of the glitziest occasions of recent years.
Verstappen didn’t speak to the crowd at the O2 Arena, though this was a pre-planned decision rather than a response to the early boos. Ted Kravitz claims the Red Bull superstar would have drawn motivation from a hostile response.
Toto Wolff has defended the fans at F1 75, suggesting that the jeers aimed at Horner shouldn’t detract from a ‘mega’ event. Perhaps his personal rivalry with the Briton played into those remarks.
