Max Verstappen put Red Bull’s off-track issues to one side by leading the first testing session in Bahrain.
Red Bull’s preparations for the new season have been marred by claims of “inappropriate behavior” against team principal Christian Horner.
Horner, who is in Bahrain for this week’s three-day test ahead of the opening round, which will also take place in the Gulf state on March 2, strongly denies the allegations made by a female coworker.
Verstappen won 19 of 22 races last season, securing his third world title, and the Dutch driver set the pace early by topping the time tables in his extensively altered Red Bull.
The 26-year-old finished over seven tenths faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in third, eight tenths behind, and the only other driver inside one second of Verstappen.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren finished fourth, with Mercedes’ George Russell finishing sixth, 1.68 seconds behind.
Lewis Hamilton gets his first taste of the last Mercedes he’ll drive on Thursday, ahead of his big move to Ferrari next year.
Although headline times in testing have to be treated with a degree of caution – as the teams trial different fuel loads and tyre compounds – Verstappen appeared settled in the machine he hopes will carry him to a fourth consecutive title.
His lap count of 65 was more than a race distance in Bahrain. Alonso (77 laps) managed the most miles of the 10 drivers on track.
