Max Verstappen set the standard on the first day of Bahrain testing, as Red Bull’s RB20 flexed its muscles early.
Gauging the pecking order is very difficult during pre-season testing, even when last year’s dominant force continues where it left off. However, the reigning Champions are already demonstrating tremendous form in Bahrain.
Even with last year’s record-breaking RB19, the Austrian team was only marginally fastest on day 1 of testing in 2023. In relatively standard fashion, they chose to preserve their pace until qualifying.
Whilst they undoubtedly have more performance in reserve, they certainly weren’t shy about setting a strong benchmark.
Further down in the pecking order, over a second behind the Dutchman, was Norris in P2 and Sainz in P3. The former teammates enjoyed solid sessions for McLaren and Ferrari, respectively, who completed their programmes without major issues.
Although no definitive conclusions can be drawn, these historic rivals seem to have made a concrete step over winter. The same seems applicable to Aston Martin, who finished in the top 10 with both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
The Silverstone-based team is understood to be happy with their early running. After struggling with mid-season development last year, the AMR24 appears to correlate with the data from the wind tunnel.
Considering last year’s setbacks, this is an encouraging sign. Much McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes, there is more to come from the British outfit.
Speaking of Mercedes, they were perhaps the trickiest team to gauge in testing. Focusing almost exclusively on high-fuel runs, they hardly made an impression on the timing sheets.
This is hardly a novelty for the Silver Arrows, who were anonymous in testing even in their glory days. However, after two disappointing years, there is plenty of pessimism surrounding Toto Wolff’s personnel.
Still, it would be premature to write off the W15. As part of the team’s new direction for development, their current package must form a strong foundation to build upon.
Different fortunes in the midfield
Further down the field, Haas managed to complete more laps than anyone. With the team’s pre-season focus being tyre management, the VF-24 is unlikely to set any sensational times over the next two days.
Williams was plagued by reliability issues across the morning and afternoon sessions. They still secured some mileage, although plenty of work lies ahead to optimise the FW46 machine.
Alpine kept a low profile, focusing on the harder compounds for much of their running. Still, a late C3 run from Pierre Gasly gives the French outfit a respectable position at the end of day 1. Sauber enjoyed a solid session, though perhaps nothing indicative of a substantive change from 2023.
Such a change is more likely to come from VCARB, also known as RB. The Faenza-based outfit produced strong lap times and seemed pleasant to handle from the on-board footage.
However, Daniel Ricciardo has cautioned against getting carried away with today’s times. This is a wise disclaimer, given that the front-runners have kept their cards close to their test.
Tomorrow should see the times improve and, consequently, a clearer picture emerge.
