“Unbelievable, I think today went better than expected,” said race winner Max Verstappen on Sky Sports.
“We had a lot of pace, it was super enjoyable to drive. We stayed out of trouble. It’s a good start to the year, it couldn’t be better,” he added.
Verstappen added that the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix was “a lot of fun” and he “felt good” in the RB20.
“It’s very special to have days like today. It doesn’t happen often, when everything is ok with the car. I think the start was good. The first corner is a tight hairpin, but from there onwards we focused on our own race.”
The 26-year-old also looks ahead to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, adding that “it’s a great place in the world to be”.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez said that the result today was the “maximum” Red Bull could achieve.
“It was a tricky race with the management of the tyres, there is plenty we will learn from tonight’s race, which is important to the championship, but overall it was a great way to start the season,” said the Mexican driver.
“The tyres were compound to compound with the amount of sliding we were having, we had issues with engine braking and drivability which is not easy because here there are plenty of low speeds, but I’m sure we will analyse all that tonight and learn for Jeddah.”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who finished third, said: “I felt really good out there today, the start wasn’t ideal but from then on I managed my tyres well and then from there I could do my pace, overtook a few cars on the way to the podium.”
He added that keeping up with the Red Bulls was a “pleasant surprised” but it was “not enough” to where Ferrari want to be.
On next week’s race at Saudi Arabia, Sainz said it will be a “surprise”.
“I expect the cars like the McLaren and Red Bull, that last year they were very good in high speed circuits to be competitive there, but our car has also improved in the high speed so hopefully we can be also stronger,” he added.
Source Agencies
