Max Verstappen identifies vital area for Red Bull to improve

Max Verstappen has addressed where he wants to see Red Bull improve, pinpointing an element of power unit "correlation" he feels the team can "take a step forward" in.

The Milton Keynes-based squad is heading into its first campaign as a works outfit, having created its power unit from scratch in collaboration with Ford.

That technical partnership brings the American car giant back to Formula 1 after two decades, and was expected to take some time to get up to speed.

However, the project is already surpassing expectations, with the RB22 performing better than anticipated during pre-season.

Verstappen was quick to shower his team in praise for the "remarkable" achievement of getting the power unit up and running.

When asked — at an event organised by Viaplay — how he reflects on testing in Bahrain, the 71-time grand prix winner replied: "All in all, with a positive feeling.

"We actually had very few issues. I think it’s quite remarkable that we’ve managed to get everything so well organised with a new engine and so many new people. In that respect, I’m very pleased."

Where Red Bull must improve

The four-time F1 drivers' champion enters the season without the number 1 on his car for the first time in five years, but does not feel he will immediately be able to reclaim his crown.

Let alone fighting for the title, Verstappen does not believe the package will be in a place to battle for victories initially.

 "If you then look at the performance, I do think we still need to take a step forward to truly fight at the front," he explained. 

"At this moment, I don’t think we’ll be competing for victory. But you also have to be realistic: that wasn’t our expectation at the start of these regulations with our own engine."

But despite the 28-year-old's attempts to downplay the strength of the power unit, Red Bull's F1 rivals have been full of praise.

"I don’t think they expected it either — they probably thought the engine would simply blow up," Verstappen added. "In that respect, we’ve done a superb job and have things well under control. We can definitely be proud of that."

As for where things can improve, the Red Bull driver tried not to give too much away. "There are many things you need to fine-tune, including with the engine," he said.

"The regulations are so complex that there’s always something you can improve. We’re obviously working very hard on that. "I can’t go into detail about exactly what we’re doing, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement."

Although he initially would only provide a veiled answer, Verstappen eventually opened up on what he views as an area to improve.

"A lot of it is simply correlation," he stated. "You always have to take temperature into account, for example, of the engine itself, but also the ambient conditions.

"That always has a significant influence on an engine’s performance. In that area, we can still take a step forward."