Marko gets laughs with comparison between Lawson and Perez

Helmut Marko spoke highly of Liam Lawson after the first day of testing. A comparison with Sergio Perez even brought a smile to the Austrian's face.

''He did a good job,'' Marko revealed to GPblog.com after the first day of testing. ''He just couldn't find time when he went from hard to medium tyre. I think he had changed something on the car that didn't work. Most won three to five tenths, he only one.''

Of course, after a first session for Liam, a comparison with his predecessor had to be made. Asked about the difference in behaviour between the two, Marko said: '' Yes, he's far more enthusiastic,'' Marko stated, after which he and those present burst into laughter.

Of course, Liam's enthusiasm has to do with his age and being in action for Red Bull Racing for the first time. ''Yes, yes, that's age,'' Marko then quickly recovered. ''But he really didn't do anything wrong at all,'' Marko concluded of the New Zealander.

Within Red Bull, the general feeling was quite positive. According to Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen was satisfied with the balance of the car, which compared to last year was much more responsive to adjustments made during the test. According to Marko, most of the problems were therefore said to have been fixed.

Liam Lawson will get plenty of time to get used to the new RB21 on Thursday. That is when Max Verstappen 's teammate will drive all day at the Bahrain circuit. On Friday, Verstappen will be in action for Red Bull all day.