Max Verstappen was still satisfied with what Red Bull accomplished despite failing to complete a first race simulation on Wednesday.
A minor trip through the gravel in the final sector around two-thirds into the 66-lap effort saw the Dutchman return to the pits for an inspection which lasted around two hours.
Verstappen insisted everything was routine, however, as the RB15 continues to run reliably.
“Not a perfect day, but still a good one,” he declared. “There are always things you want to check, instead of driving until something breaks.
“We did a routine check this afternoon and then got back out again at the end of the session. But even with the delay we had, we still managed to do over 120 laps, so I think it was still a very positive day.
“The more laps, the better and today we did a lot, so overall I’m happy.”
In fact, Verstappen’s total of 128 laps was still enough to see him third in the total distance covered by a single driver behind Carlos Sainz and Robert Kubica who both managed 130 laps.
It is also noteworthy that so far Red Bull has continued not to use any tyre compounds softer than the C3 so it will be interesting to see if that changes over the final two days of running before Melbourne.
