Max Verstappen tempered expectations ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, despite defeating the McLarens in Japan. However, the opening day of practice at the Bahrain International Circuit proved Verstappen right to be cautious, as McLaren dominated at the top of the timesheets. Verstappen only drove in the second practice session after being replaced by Ayumu Iwasa for FP1 but struggled at the wheel of the RB21 throughout. Red Bull's current problem with tyres overheating was very apparent in Bahrain. Oscar Piastri was eight-tenths faster than Verstappen, leaving the Dutchman in seventh. Five-tenths of that was lost in just the second sector, highlighting the RB21's issues with changing direction and pushing the tyres. Verstappen was not the only driver who failed to match the McLarens. George Russell claimed third but was also five-tenths adrift. McLaren has the car to beat. View the lap times from the second free practice session below. The text continues after that.
Long run
Despite its short run concerns, Verstappen's long run pace has usually been much stronger and in contention with the McLarens - however, that is not the case in Bahrain. Verstappen's disadvantage to the Woking-based team is the biggest it has been since the season-opener and was the fifth quickest driver on his long run simulation. Lando Norris was six-tenths faster per lap than Verstappen on the same compound, but was at his strongest compared to the Red Bull driver at the start of his run. Of the top four teams, it is Red Bull with the most work to do overnight. Verstappen suffered from understeer and sliding in all directions as a result, making him burn through his tyres faster. Red Bull needs a Suzuka-esque turnaround, or risk a painful weekend compared to McLaren. View the data of the long runs below!
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