Max Verstappen tries tricks with downshifting in Bahrain. The word “trying” may not be entirely descriptive. In the case of the Red Bull driver, it seems that he has it well trained.
According to The Race website, Verstappen plays with the gearshift in a strange way. He ranked number one where under normal circumstances it wouldn’t be necessary and where everyone else stayed in number two this year as well.
Last year, the riders passed the tenth corner in second place, and this year it was no different. But Verstappen placed first, which was evident due to the increase in revolutions and the restless behavior of the car.
The tenth turn and last year’s situation
Photo: Mercedes
The Red Bull driver does it every lap. Some other drivers tried to emulate this throughout the day, but Verstappen seems to do it quite naturally.
It wasn’t the only unconventional thing Verstappen did. When subordination, he shifted “in pairs” – for example, from five to four and immediately to three, then a slight pause and then very quickly from three to two and one.
It is quite paradoxical that Lewis Hamilton also talked about the tenth turn. It was never an easy turn for the drivers, mainly because of the curved approach to the previous ninth turn. But this year, according to Hamilton, the run into the top ten is the hardest he has ever experienced.
Of course, it is not about the tenth turn as such. This year’s power units are almost half powered by battery power, but that’s not enough to supply power the entire length of the straight every time. Therefore, it is necessary to recharge as much as possible. Right after the tenth turn is a short straight where one of the DRS zones was located until last year. Different gearing can significantly contribute to battery charging.
Red Bull has talked up the potential for extreme high-rpm tactics for some time, so it’s possible that the entire design of its power unit and energy recovery philosophy is built around a tolerance for more aggressive handling.
date:2026-02-12 06:47:00
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