Red Bull 'surprises' itself with 'smooth' first day with new PU in Barcelona

On Monday morning, Red Bull Racing unveiled the new RB22, which later hit the track for the first time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Today, it was Hadjar's turn to drive the new Red Bull car, equipped with the new Red Bull Ford power unit, while Max Verstappen did not complete a single lap.

Speaking to F1.com after the session, the Frenchman was satisfied with his day.

He said: "Yes, it was pretty productive. Surprisingly, we managed to do a lot more laps than we expected. Everything went pretty smooth.

Hadjar also passed his first verdict on the new generation of cars. He explained: "A lot less load in general. It's a bit more predictable compared to the previous generation of cars.

Regarding the drivability of the new power unit, he concluded: "Honestly it's pretty decent for a first day.

While the lap times were not meant to be broadcast this week, during the first half of the day, they were streamed on a YouTube channel.

Reportedly, by the end of Day 1, Hadjar was the driver with the quickest time. His fastest lap was, unofficially, a 1:18.159 in Barcelona.

Whether any teams will run test programs on Tuesday remains to be seen, as heavy rain is forecast.

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