Verstappen looks forward to Baku: 'It could be chaotic'

In a press release from his team, Verstappen said: "It’s good to be back! It’s been a long break and I’m looking forward to getting back to racing. Baku is a challenging track to get right. As it’s a street circuit with long straights, it gives us multiple options on what wings we can run. It’s also the first Sprint race weekend of the season so that might make it slightly chaotic. We just need to try and get a good start into the weekend with a solid FP1 session. Let’s see what we can do."

'Felt like an eternity'

Teammate Sergio Perez is equally excited about being able to once again take a seat in the strongest car in the field: "It feels like ages since we have been racing! It has been nice to have a break, to work hard in the gym and with my Team at the factory. You must take advantage of these moments away from the track, especially when you see how busy the period is coming up," said the Mexican.

He continued: "We have five races in six weeks and after that, with the mix of circuits we are visiting, we are really going to see how good the RB19 can be this year. We had a great Team result in Baku last season and everyone knows I really enjoy a street circuit - winning is always the aim. The new weekend format is going to make things tricky when it comes to car set-up but every team is in the same position and we just have to make sure we are on it from the minute we roll out on Friday."