While Ferrari looked “very competitive” on Day 2 in Bahrain, that was on a day where “Max Verstappen wasn’t driving”. That is the point made by Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, who also offered an explanation for the RB21 issue which cost Liam Lawson time at the wheel on his final outing before that big debut in Australia.

Red Bull’s new RB21 has launched in Bahrain as it looks to provide Max Verstappen with the machinery to win a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship. Verstappen has won all three of the drivers’