All signs are pointing in the right direction for Red Bull with news that the team will bring some minor updates for the RB16B when the season begins in Bahrain. The Milton Keynes outfit look to be the favourites heading into the opening race of the campaign, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both impressing during winter testing. While there are only 11 days between the end of winter testing and FP1, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has revealed that the teams stellar work means they can bring some minor updates with them to Bahrain. "Honestly, the process of development for FP1 in Bahrain starts after Day One of the test," Wache stated in a Red Bull press release. "We don't wait for the session to end on Sunday. We tested many parts throughout the three days and tried to understand what is working and what is not working with the car. "We guide the process of development in terms of direction, and we try to have some minor updates for Race One. We also have the drivers working in the simulator to correlate with the track and see how we can improve the situation with the tools we have inside the car, or in our set-up, to help us achieve a better balance. "When you see something perform a certain way on track and you say ‘oh, I can fix that’’, go to the simulator, make changes on the mechanical side and see if it helps or not." Honda look to have worked hard over the course of the winter, with Wache stating there have been performance gains thanks to the engine supplier and fuel provider ExxonMobil . "On the full car dyno we use, we see already some early signs of performance gain compared to last year," Wache added. "I think it is a combination of the engine development plus the ExxonMobil fuel. "I’m sure all teams and power units have made gains so we do not know if it put us ahead of anyone at this stage but we are very grateful for the work our partners have put in over the winter."
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