Formula 1 | Verstappen fast in Bahrain, great fight behind him [VIDEO]

Speaking on Sky Sport 24 yesterday evening, Mara Sangiorgio analyzed the performances shown by Red Bull and Mercedes in yesterday's free practice, highlighting how Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez managed to maximize the potential of the RB16B on the Sakhir track.

According to what was declared by the Sky Sport F1 HD correspondent, the Austrian team confirmed the excellent feeling of the pre-season tests, showing superiority over the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. An important condition that the four-time world champion team hopes to confirm in this afternoon's qualifying (17.00pm on Sky Sport F1 HD).

As for the positions within the top 5, there was a great battle between Ferrari, AlphaTauri and McLaren, with the latter appearing more "concrete", especially with Lando Norris. Different story however for Aston Martin, given that Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel have not yet managed to find the ideal balance with the AMR21. Alpine is back, never really fighting for positions close to the podium area.

See you at 17.00pm on Sky Sport F1 HD for the first qualifying of this 2021 Formula 1 world championship.