Christian Horner will be scratching his head in confusion after Red Bull were outperformed by their sister team on Friday at the F1 Australian Grand Prix, it was claimed. Racing Bulls duo Yuki Tsunoda and rookie Isack Hadjar were fourth and sixth on the practice timesheet respectively.

Verstappen’s teammate last year, Sergio Pérez, has been replaced by Liam Lawson this season, with the New Zealand driver set to make his full-time F1 debut in 2025. In the drizzly conditions in Bahrain, Lawson said he was fighting “a few teething gremlins” with his car as he sought to adjust to life alongside Verstappen.