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RED BULL
VERSTAPPEN 'RELAXED' AT RED BULL AS HE WELCOMES THE NEW CHALLENGES OF A LESS DOMINANT CAR
Max Verstappen has been fielding questions about his future, saying of his car problems in Bahrain: "We struggled with the balance, entry to mid-corner balance isn't where I want it to be. Hopefully the tarmac here will be better."
When asked about a possible move away from Red Bull - and whether Ferrari would tempt him: "Everyone is talking about this except me. I am very relaxed", the Dutchman pointed out.
"I enjoy this track, anti-clockwise so on your neck it is quite tough. It is hard to know how we will perform here, this year has been slightly difficult.
"I enjoyed last year and the year before when we were dominant, now it is enjoyable in a way of the challenges that are out there and trying to improve the situation I would say."
KICK SAUBER
BORTOLETO SAYS PATIENCE IS NECESSARY IN THE STEP UP TO FORMULA 1
Ahead of the third race in this triple header, Gabriel Bortoleto said: "[I'm] looking forward to it. Was a tough weekend [in Bahrain] as I got stuck behind Stroll and couldn't get past. But another race weekend, there are a lot of things to learn from my side and from the team's side, and now we try to apply it here."
Asked about bouncing from F2 to F1, the Kick Sauber driver said: "It's not easy... You come from two championships, wins and the podium to us doing a mega job if we get to Q2. If you see George Russell at the beginning of his F1 career, I don't think he scored a point and now he's constantly on the podium and fighting for things.
"I just need to learn, get better. I'm not fighting for points realistically. Everything can happen, we can not give up."
Bortoleto continued: "You just need to have patience. But this is not news, I didn't expect to start this season fighting for podiums or points. It is what it is, that's life I suppose."
Williams
ALBON THRIVING UNDER THE PRESSURE OF EARLY SEASON WILLIAMS FORM
During Thursday's media day in Jeddah, Alex Albon was asked for his view on Williams' start to the 2025 season. "It's been a really strong start to the season for us, and we feel good in the car," he responded. "I'm just enjoying the racing out there, the midfield pack has become so tight - in Qualifying, if you aren't optimal, you are out straight away.
"There's lots of pressure, and that is exciting."
And, on working with team mate Carlos Sainz, the Thai racer said: "We are very similar the way we approach the weekend, we are both very data-driven. We are very open, we have open discussions about where we need the car to go. We discuss everything together. We are very aligned."
ALPINE
GASLY HOPING TO BUILD ON BAHRAIN PERFORMANCE IN SAUDI
Pierre Gasly got the first points on the board of 2025 for Alpine in Bahrain - but can he score more this weekend?
"We know we’ll be competitive on some tracks, we know it’s going to be tricky on some others," he said. "The midfield is extremely tight and from one weekend to another can swing one way or another."
Gasly continued: "[The] track layout is very different, I’m confident we should be in the mix but obviously that mix at the minute is… in a tenth and a half you’ve probably got pretty much the entire midfield so we’ll focus on our details and hopefully we can make something out of this weekend."
haas
BEARMAN REFLECTS ON RETURNING TO JEDDAH ONE YEAR ON FROM ROLLERCOASTER DEBUT
Ollie Bearman explained that the Jeddah Corniche Circuit "will always be special to me" as the Haas driver reflected on how his life has changed since making his Formula 1 debut at last year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
After being called in as a last-minute replacement at Ferrari for the event after Carlos Sainz required an emergency appendix operation, at 18 years of age Bearman became the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix for Ferrari and, after just failing to progress through to Q3 having only driven in Free Practice 3, the teenager secured a points finish on his debut with seventh.
"A crazy weekend, I just hope physically I’m a bit stronger now because it was a tough race," said Bearman, who had also qualified on pole for the Formula 2 support race the same weekend. "To come back one year on is a special feeling, [I've] always had decent performances here. This track will always be special to me."
When asked how becoming a full-time F1 driver had changed his life, Bearman said: "A lot has changed. You have more fans and people knowing you, [it] comes with good and bad things. [It's] part of the life in F1, what I’ve been dreaming of since I was young, so I'm happy to be here."
