Rome, 4 March (LaPresse) – "It will be fantastic to get back on track and start the season. It has seemed like a long preparation up to this point, and it is exciting to finally get back to racing. In Bahrain, seeing the car with our power unit do so many laps was really impressive. There were many proud faces seeing it come out for the first time, and the team did a great job. We had been driving the car in the simulator for so long, so when the time finally came to go back and see the car ready, I got goosebumps.‘ So said Max Verstappen, Red Bull driver, on the eve of the Melbourne Grand Prix, the first round of the 2026 F1 World Championship. ’Now is the real test. Looking at Melbourne, I don't know how it will turn out, but we have learned a lot and are working to optimise the car as best we can. Obviously, this track holds many fond memories for me, especially when I drove my first F1 race here. But this year will be a particularly exciting challenge and I can't wait to see how it goes," he added.