Verstappen buoyed by ‘positive’ first day of running

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was happy with his day at the office on Friday, but the Dutchman warned against making any bold predictions about his prospects.

Verstappen concluded the day’s first practice hot on the heels of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and then overhauled the Monegasque in the afternoon, a performance that bolds well for the remainder of the weekend.

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“Today was very positive and the car worked really well on both tyres,” Verstappen said.

“We followed our own programme, tried quite a few things set-up wise and got a good balance, especially in the last sector but even the first sector with the long straight looked competitive.

“When you have a good feeling with the car it comes alive in the last sector which is really nice after the strange weekend we had in Singapore.”

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Weather forecasts for Saturday are currently calling for a strong chance of rain, conditions that could throw a spanner into everyone’s works.

“It looks like it may rain tomorrow so that will also mix things up but hopefully the car will also work well in those conditions,” added the Red Bull charger who will be demoted five spots on Sunday’s grid regardless of where he qualifies.

“We will of course try and do our best in qualifying as the five place grid penalty will be applied after the session, so it is still very important to be quick but at least you can overtake around here and if you are fast you can get to the front.

“It’s only Friday and too early to make any predictions as everyone will improve but it is a very positive start.”