Alex Albon’s ominous ‘25 seconds’ Max Verstappen prediction for Bahrain GP

Williams driver Alex Albon has made a worrying prediction that Max Verstappen will have a 25-second lead heading into the final laps of next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen dominated the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, topping the timesheets by 1.1s.

The Dutchman hasn’t driven the RB20 since the first day, but is due to be in action for the final four hours on Friday.

The general consensus is that Red Bull is still the team to beat - and their advantage could be even greater than at the end of last year.

Albon appeared on F1’s testing coverage on day two in Bahrain, and he gave his prediction of what could happen next week.

“I’m going to already hypothesise what is going to happen,” Albon said.

“Max is going to have a 25-second lead, he’s going to go for a pit stop at the end of the race and he’s going to go for it at the end and break the lap record!”

Williams secured an impressive seventh in the F1 2023 constructors’ championship - their best finish in six years.

That was predominantly down to Albon’s consistent performances, often capitalising on any points opportunities.

However, Albon feels that Williams might be forced down the pecking order, identifying RB - formerly AlphaTauri - as a team that could overtake the Grove outfit in 2024.

“They’ve made a step,” Albon added. “I think they’ve definitely… gathered some parts.

“They look very, very, very quick. So I think they’ve made a big step, which is just the way it is. But we’re there. We’re not far away, I don’t think.”