Max Verstappen has revealed that he was given such a confident first impression of Red Bull's RB19 during its shakedown at Silverstone that he went full throttle through the first corner on his first flying lap onboard the new machine.
Verstappen topped the timesheet on Day 1 in pre-season testing Bahrain, while teammate Sergio Perez concluded the week with the fastest lap overall, a performance that augurs well for Red Bull for next week's opening round of racing in 2023.
Before it headed to Bahrain, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit shook down its new challenger during a filming day at Silverstone.
As he assessed the icy track conditions at the Northamptonshire circuit with his long-standing race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen told the latter that he would go flat-out through the first corner as soon as his first run, a prospect that frightened the engineer.
"It was very cold and the track was still a bit frozen and you could see that salt had been spread," Verstappen told the media in Bahrain, recounting the moment.
"We drove a few laps in a normal car, and then I said to my engineer: 'I think I should be full throttle from the very first corner.'
"He said: 'No, no, you can't.' I replied: 'Just watch!'
"Then I went out and felt [how the car handled] for a moment and thought 'that feels good,' then I immediately went full throttle through the corner!"
While Lambiase cringed in the team's garage, Verstappen was smiling under his helmet.
"That was a lot of fun," he said. "It also meant I was immediately confident in the car.
"It was the same here in Bahrain, and after about five laps, you are pretty much where you want to be, provided the car feels good.
"The car felt good, but there are always things that could be better."
©RedBull
Described as a soft evolution of Red Bull's all-conquering RB18, the team's new car is an improvement over its predecessor according to Verstappen.
"Compared with last year, I think it is a step forward," added the two-time world champion. "But that's also because last year's car was overweight and it was the first year of the new generation of car.
"During the year you obviously learn a lot, which makes it easier to start now - and I think we have done that."
Verstappen also underscored how Pirelli's 2023 tyres – developed to produce less understeer – have impacted the car's behaviour relative to last season.
"In terms of driving, it really depends on the tyres being modified," he said.
"They have less understeer, but that's mainly because the rear tyres are not as good. The front tyres are still the same, but overall, I think the car is just a little bit better balanced."
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