After three days, Bahrain hosted the Formula 1 pre-season test, which gave crucial information about the teams’ performance leading up to the 24-round season. Teams keep fuel loads and running plans secret, so it’s difficult to ascertain the actual pecking order, but we can still extract valuable information.
Winners:
1. Red Bull Racing (RB)
The RB20, Red Bull’s 2024 rival, took center stage. After completing an astounding 390 laps, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez took third place on the mileage standings. Highlights of their performance:
Fastest in qualifying simulations, with a 0.28-second advantage.
In racing trim, 0.10 seconds in advance.
Red Bull probably has unrealized potential in their radically different automobile, even if this is merely testing.
2. Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari fixed the tire degrading problems from the previous year. During testing, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both felt more comfortable pushing the vehicle. Their striking statistics:
finished first in the last two testing days, behind Red Bull by a little 0.1 second.
The C4 tire, which won’t be utilized at the Bahrain Grand Prix, has the fastest speeds.
Losers:
1. Alpine
Alpine carried out their intended agenda but stayed mostly unnoticed. They traveled 200 less kilometers than they did the previous year, placing them only seventh in the mileage standings. They were the only team, aside from McLaren, to struggle in qualifying and not bring any soft tires for testing.
2. Aston Martin
Aston Martin performed poorly in testing, which kept them a little bit further from the pointy end of the grid despite their lofty goals following notable advancements the previous year. As the season progresses, there’s optimism for improvement thanks to an aggressive development strategy and a car that accepts new parts.
In conclusion, lap times don’t really important in testing; nonetheless, the information acquired and patterns seen offer some insight into the season to come. Fans are excitedly awaiting the races on the track as the Bahrain Grand Prix draws near! 🏁🏎️.