"The Red Bull does look formidably quick but what was of real concern for F1 was the four-time champion's open disdain for driving it. The Dutchman dismissed the energy management that now plays a critical role as being not fun to drive and Formula E on steroids. Indeed, it was the antithesis of racing he believed as he once more insinuated that he could leave F1 if he ceased to enjoy the racing."
"But I am outspoken and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car? His words carried all the more impact for echoing those of Hamilton a day earlier. None of the fans are going to understand it, I don't think. It's so complex. It's ridiculously complex, he said. I sat in a meeting the other day and they're taking us through it and it's like you need a degree to fully understand it all."
"Times in testing must be taken with a liberal amount of salt, more so this year as so much time is being put into understanding the new cars and how best to drive them, without yet really pushing toward real performance limits. Nonetheless, across the three days in Bahrain it was Mercedes who finished on top with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell setting the quickest times."
Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen expressed strong dissatisfaction with the new Formula One regulations and described the new cars as overly complex and anti-racing. Testing concluded in Bahrain with Mercedes fastest across three days, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell setting the quickest times, followed by two Ferraris and McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris; Verstappen finished seventh but questioned energy-management demands. Times from pre-season testing require caution because teams are focused on understanding and adapting to the new cars rather than pushing for peak performance. Concern exists that visible driver disquiet could affect fan perception despite growing popularity.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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