Verstappen set to get title defence underway

The time for talking will stop this weekend as the first race of the F1 2022 season gets underway in Bahrain.

Max Verstappen will begin his title defence somewhat in the dark, with significant technical regulation changes coming into force this season.

While Red Bull Racing and the rest of the teams have conducted six days of testing with their new machinery, times set at both venues in Barcelona and Sakhir have done little to establish a clear-cut pecking order heading into the first race this weekend.

Verstappen though is eager for all the talking to stop and for attention to return to racing once again.

He said: “We learnt a lot at testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, I’m very excited to turn our attention to racing now, it’s a whole new era for the sport and anything can happen.

“The focus is to bring the grid together and make it easier to follow, I hope we see that in the first race.

“Everything is so new so there are a lot of unknowns heading into the first race.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where we are compared to the rest of the grid come qualifying on Saturday.

“The car looks good and as a team we are in a good place. The most important thing for us in Bahrain is to have a stable weekend without too many issues and we hope to score a good amount of points.”

Heading into his second season with the team, Sergio Perez believes he can make bigger strides in 2022 now he is more familiar with the way Red Bull Racing operate.

He said: “I am looking forward to the new season, automatically you feel more settled going into your second year with a team.

“I feel more prepared because I now know exactly how the team operate and the Oracle Red Bull Racing philosophy, so that makes a difference.

“It will be interesting to see where everyone is come Sunday when the flag comes down and I think it will make for a good race. I am very excited for 2022 and I know the important thing is that I am consistent throughout the year - I am up for the fight.”