Max Verstappen was put through his paces at Red Bull’s Athlete Performance Centre

The APC has been set up by Red Bull to help athletes get a better understanding of how their body and mind works and also how if they change their habits, they can reach peak performance.

In the photos, Verstappen is sat in a machine which looks to be replicating the stresses he will feel in the Red Bull car come the start of the new campaign.

The F1 season kicks off in Bahrain on March 28 with Verstappen looking to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the championship after finishing third last season.

The driver is preparing for the start of the new Formula One season next month

Earlier this week, Red Bull chief Christian Horner conceded that Verstappen could replace Hamilton at Mercedes in the future.

Horner said: ‘I am sure should Lewis decide to stop then Max will naturally be the driver at the top of Mercedes’ list. They also have George Russell and other drivers available to them.

‘The reality is, that yes of course – as there has always been – an element of performance-related clauses to Max’s contract. But as with all these things, it is not about forcing a driver that doesn’t want to be there.

‘It is more about relationships than contracts, and you only pull a contract out of the drawer when you have got a problem in my experience.

‘The relationship with Max is very strong, he believes in the project, in what we are doing, and he sees the investment Red Bull is making. I am confident we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses. It will be down to us to deliver a competitive car.’

Red Bull chief Christian Horner conceded that Verstappen could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes earlier this week