Racing Bulls delighted with the move to the Milton Keynes campus

Having left its old facility in Bicester, Racing Bulls have completed a move to a new building inside Red Bull's Milton Keynes facility, with the Faenza-based outfit's team boss Laurent Mekies claiming that the relocation of the UK base "went smoothly."

Ahead of his fifth season in Formula One, Yuki Tsunoda arrived in Australia early in order to spend a few days at the beach. The Japanese driver expects hot weather for the season-opening race in Melbourne which drivers will need adapt to after the long winter break.

"I arrived in Australia last Saturday and spent a few days in a house near the beach, spending my time with a mix of training, relaxing and adapting to the time zone, getting over the jet lag and adapting to the heat, because it looks like it’s going to be a hot weekend to start the year.

"It was a nice short break, as I enjoy spending time in Australia, everyone’s friendly and the breakfasts are amazing. I like being outdoors and there are great places to go for hikes which was a nice mental reset before the real start to the season.

"Now, I’m feeling ready to tackle the Albert Park track where I’ve had good weekends in the past, so hopefully we can have a strong first race, which always brings positivity and energy going forward.“

His new team-mate Isack Hadjar is looking forward to his debut season at the pinnacle of motorsport, but he is yet to find out where his new car is in the pecking order.

"It’s very exciting to be going all the way to Australia for my first F1 race. For a long time now I’ve been waiting for this moment. I’m really keen to hit the track on Friday and see where we’re at.

"Physically, I feel ready as I’ve been training very hard over the winter to prepare for this, including a training camp in Qatar and during the Bahrain test I felt really good. Our team preparation has been going very well with plenty of hours in the sim and testing went super-smooth, so I’m all set to go.”

Having left its old facility in Bicester, Racing Bulls have completed a move to a new building inside Red Bull's Milton Keynes facility over the winter, with the Faenza-based outfit's team boss Laurent Mekies claiming that the relocation of the UK base "went smoothly."

"The last time the season started in Melbourne was in 2020, except that it didn’t. The race was cancelled and the world faced the terrible consequences of the pandemic. However, in the midst of this global disaster, Formula One and the teams showed resilience, tenacity and adaptability, becoming one of the first sports to find a way to host events while ensuring the safety of its workforce.

"Those qualities will come in useful as we prepare to tackle another 24 race season. Over the winter, we have put every effort into being as ready as possible, both in the Italian and UK Headquarters. The move from the old Bicester facility to a state-of-the-art one in Milton Keynes went smoothly and the Sakhir test allowed us to evaluate many things, a testament to plenty of work over the past few months.

"However, at this stage of the year, we know we still have a lot to do to reach the level we want to be at. It’s very difficult to know what the pecking order is among the teams, as the exceptionally cold and even wet conditions in Bahrain make it hard to assess.

"Starting the season with a rookie driver is part of this team’s DNA and so far, Isack has proved to be a quick learner as well as a quick driver. He will learn a lot from Yuki, who impressed us all last season and I know there is even more to come from him.”