Verstappen: This is where it counts, at the race

Red Bull and Max Verstappen emerged from last week's Bahrain pre-season testing as the package to beat, but the double F1 Champion is playing it safe, insisting that truth will be revealed only during this weekend's season opener.

Previewing the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix; Verstappen who watched the last day of the test from the pit wall said: "I stayed out in Bahrain after the test, so it’s been a nice lead up to the race weekend.

"With all the testing we have completed, we are heading into the weekend in a good position. There’s a lot to be said about reading into the data at testing, each track is very different in terms of how a car can behave, so I think as a Team we will focus on improving and always trying to do better and that’s what we have to keep doing throughout the year.

"We had three positive days at testing but now this is where it counts, at the race," the Dutchman concluded.

Sergio Pérez who topped the timing sheets on the final day of pre-season testing added: "Race week is finally here and I am massively excited to be racing again.

"The RB19 felt really good in testing and responded well to set-up changes we made. I am looking forward to seeing how the car responds to qualifying and race conditions.

"I don’t think testing is a true representation of where teams are at, so it’ll be interesting to see where everyone is after qualifying on Saturday," the Mexican pointed out.

"We certainly look and feel strong but it’s all about how you perform across a race weekend. I want to start the season positively and have a consistent weekend in Bahrain," Perez concluded.