Verstappen yet to push Red Bull Honda to its limits

Max Verstappen says he’s yet to find the maximum in terms of performance and reliability from his new Honda power unit after finishing content with the progress made at the first pre-season test.

The Red Bull driver clocked 109 laps on his second day of track action at Circuit de Catalunya with a best lap of 1m 18.787s to take fifth place on the times.

With Verstappen eager to focus on mileage and get a good understanding of his RB15, the Dutch driver says he’s yet to feel the full potential of the latest-spec Honda power unit following Red Bull’s switch to the Japanese manufacturer this winter.

“Of course not. But I think nobody [has],” Verstappen said about pushing his F1 car to its maximum. “So I think at the end of the day what’s most important is that everything is reliable.

“The car is working well and you try a lot of different things on the car because with the new regulations you have to understand what direction you have to go in, that’s exactly what we did.

“I’m just happy with the way we are working together. It’s all very focused and calm and everybody knows their job, that’s good.”

Verstappen, who hands over to new teammate Pierre Gasly for the final day of the first test, will return to testing action next week with two more days in the RB15 at the Barcelona circuit.