Williams star Alex Albon has predicted what Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is going to do at the first Grand Prix of the 2024 season in Bahrain.
After two days of testing the three-time world champion looks like the quickest racer on the grid in his new Red Bull car.
His old teammate Alex Albon was in the commentary box for Sky Sports F1 and shared what he thinks is going to happen during next Saturday’s race.
Albon makes record-breaking Verstappen prediction for Bahrain Grand Prix
While there are nine teams on the grid hoping to challenge for race victories for the first time, Red Bull will have a very different goal.
Only Carlos Sainz in Singapore denied them a perfect season and they’ll hope the updates they’ve brought to testing can help them become the first team to complete an unbeaten season.
That may require Sergio Perez to chip in with a few more decent results than in 2023 when he fell away after winning two of the first four races.
However, Alex Albon thinks Max Verstappen will be standing on the top step of the podium in Bahrain.
Not only that, but the Thai driver thinks his old teammate may break a record that stood for nearly 20 years.
Verstappen gunning for another unprecedented season
As they watched testing continue on Thursday afternoon, reporter Rachel Brookes said: “So, is this race lap record going to go this weekend Alex? I mean qualifying, pole last year was a 1:29.7, I mean Carlos [Sainz] is not far off that already but the actual lap record during the race is a 1:31.447, do you think that’s going to go next weekend?”
Albon responded: “Yeah. I’m going to already hypothesise what’s going to happen.
“Max [Verstappen] is going to have a 25-second lead, he’s going to go for a pit stop at the end of the race and he’s going to go for it at the end and break the lap record!”
I’m sure Verstappen would be delighted if Albon’s prediction came true and he broke Pedro De La Rosa’s lap record in Bahrain.
It’s a surprise that it’s stood since 2005 and only includes the Outer Circuit and not the shorter format used for the Sakhir GP in 2020.
Albon has already commented on one advantage the Red Bulls have over most of the other teams on the grid.
He’ll be hoping Williams can eventually develop a car that can race alongside Verstappen, but that seems a long way off right now.
The post ‘What’s going to happen’: Alex Albon makes record-breaking Max Verstappen prediction for Bahrain Grand Prix appeared first on F1 Oversteer.