Red Bull became the third team last Friday to unveil their livery for the forthcoming 2023 season, with the Austrians preparing to defend their Constructors’ Championship.
As glamorous as the launch was, though, a lot of eyes were on Max Verstappen, with several fans having all noticed the same thing.
It was pointed out by many just how fit and in-shape the Dutchman looked, with his narrower face having been almost immediately picked up on.
Verstappen looked ready to start the season now, let alone in just under a month, with many wondering how the double World Champion was in such great shape ahead of pre-season testing.
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The Red Bull star has actually been unfairly criticised over the years for not being in-shape, with many having joked at his physique during previous off-seasons.
Verstappen appears incredibly determined, though, ahead of the new season, with Dutch F1 journalist Erik van Haren having been told that the Dutchman started training earlier than usual.
“Quite a lot of people said that when they saw Verstappen in the picture on Friday that he looked well-trained,” Van Haren said in a video on De Telegraaf.
“I spoke to some people from his camp. They said his training schedule has been adjusted a bit, because they used to start training at the beginning or mid-January – but now the season starts quite a bit earlier than in recent years, on March 5.
“We have also had seasons where it only started at the end of March and in 2020 only in June or July because of Corona.
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“They train a little more condensed, more double training sessions and fewer recovery days. They have all adjusted that slightly.
“I already thought he looked very fit and of course there are still people who say, ‘Yes, I will get in the car myself twenty kilos overweight. You don’t have to be trained for that’, but if you’ve been in a car like that with those G-forces, then you know how fit you have to be to handle it.
“Especially with races like Miami, with that humidity, it takes a while for a driver [to adapt to that].”