Permain: We can already see that the machine is working quite well.

      Following the first practice session in Barcelona, both Racing Bulls drivers found themselves in the top ten, which has happened more than once this season, as we can recall that Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad scored points in Monaco.

      "Yes, to be honest, this is very good!" commented Alan Permain, the team principal from Faenza, on Sky Sports. "In Barcelona, the car's efficiency undergoes a serious test, especially since we have upcoming races on high-speed tracks like the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. For the Montreal stage, we have prepared an excellent package of technical innovations that worked well there and performed decently in Monaco, although the speeds on the city track are not high.

      But we had certain doubts when we were preparing for Barcelona; however, the results of this session pleased us greatly, and we are happy that everything is going well here too. Of course, these are just practice sessions, but we are already seeing the first signs that the car is performing well.

      On this track, the rear tires operate under very high loads, and moreover, the tires this year are a step softer than before. So the upcoming race will be very challenging in terms of tire management, but, for example, Liam Lawson managed to set up the car very well, which was evident from the very first lap.

      However, both drivers are performing excellently this year. Liam is working very purposefully and focused, executing everything we ask of him, and as for Arvid, I currently see no limit to his capabilities.

      I am often asked what we want to achieve from a young driver? First and foremost, we want them to be fast! We have other expectations as well, but if, for example, they work well with engineers and have very interesting activity on social media, that’s great, but if they are not fast enough, who will be interested in them?

      And Arvid has the necessary speed, and I believe he has a great future ahead."

      Permain was also asked if he was surprised that the FIA considered the engines produced by Red Bull Powertrains, which are also in the VCARB 03 cars, to be the most efficient and powerful this year.

      "We are a customer team, although it is clear that we work closely with Red Bull Powertrains and Ford," he replied. "I believe the FIA's decision surprised both our engine specialists and everyone in general. When I talk to some of my colleagues from different teams, everyone agrees that the Mercedes engines are definitely the most powerful.

      I don't know how this whole story will end, but we can say this: our best engines are either on par with the best or slightly behind the best, but it is absolutely certain that they are at a perfectly normal level of efficiency, so Red Bull Powertrains has done an incredibly successful job."