2024 Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing - Day 1:
It was clear right from the first session onwards, that the combination of Red Bull and Verstappen looked strong and were the quickest amongst the rest. Max laid down a lap time of 1:31:344, which remained the fastest set time of the first day of testing. The RB-20 looked settled and well in control around every corner of the Bahrain International Circuit. The Scuderia Ferrari SF-24, on the other hand, looked quite race-y but a bit tricky to handle through slow speed corners. At the end of the day, Charles LeClerc could only muster a time that was more than half a second off Red Bull. Even in the second half of the day, the car looked rapid when Carlos Sainz swapped places with LeClerc but behind McLaren. The duo of McLaren and Lando managed to grab the second fastest time overall. The Woking-based team looks to be in a much better position than this time last year, having to fight hard and finish strong towards the second half.
Overall, all the car's were, on an average, an entire second faster than what the time being laid down during last year's pre-season testing. This was also a key takeaway on the development side from each team after 2023’s aerodynamic regulation change to instigate ‘closer racing’. The second session of the first day for the next set of drivers to get a feel of the new cars, however, George Russell and Max Verstappen were the only ones who participated in both sessions.
However, while the Stake F1 and Alpine team got their laps in, disaster struck Williams F1. While Alex Albon dealt with an engine failure in the first half of the day, Logan Seargent spun out and caught a gravel trap in session two. Both mishaps led to Williams losing out on precious testing time of the first day itself. Surprising performers within the mid pack teams were RB Honda RBPT with Daniel Ricciardo bagging the fourth fastest time. While Yuki Tsunoda too had a promising start, Aston Martin didn’t look as strong as they did at last year's pre-season testing, they comfortably led ahead of Stake F1, Alpine, Williams and Haas.
2024 Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing - Day 2:
Starting with championship favourites Red Bull, the RB-20 didn't look as strong as it did on day one at the hands of Sergio Perez. The car looked hard to handle, a bit overweight and not in sync with the driving style the Mexican prefers. However, running well on day two of the 2024 F1 pre-season test was the McLaren MCL38 and Oscar Piastri. The car looks in a much better position than it did last year and that should give many Papaya fans a definite reason to rejoice. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Mercedes seemed to be suffering, despite changes to the suspension from last-year’s W14 to improve grip and stability under load. While correcting major oversteer moments throughout the day, the best time that the Silver Arrows could manage was still 1.4 seconds behind the best from the Ferrari SF-24.
Speaking of red, at the hands of Charles Leclerc, the Maranello-based team topped the first session of day two with a car that seemed a lot better to drive than last year. This was also repeated by Carlos Sainz to the media, who set the fastest lap of the day at 1:29:921. What was clear to see was that improvements to setups were in full swing in the second half of day two. While Carlos Sainz finished strongest, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton completed the top 3 spots for the day. The star performers continued to be McLaren, who finished the second day of pre-season testing on a high and continued their strong form, similar to Daniel Ricciardo in the RB Honda.
2024 Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing - Day 3:
At the final day of testing, all teams started to button up their set up, and get enough lap data in on all tyre compounds. This was evident in the varied number of tyre compounds setting times on the lap board. The Ferrari SF-24 remained on top of the list with Leclerc pulling out a quick lap of 1:30:322, using the softest C5 tyres. While Red Bull weren’t setting the fastest lap times on paper, Max Vertappen’s statements to the media and the occasional flashes of speed suggest that while running a lower engine mode, the Bulls are definitely the ones to beat this year. However, Mercedes looked to be in a better position with a more stable car on day three, with George Russell piloting the W15 to second in the timing charts.
Alpine played down its expectations for 2024 and as a result, there was no shock involved when the French team finished day three of testing in the lower-half of mid-pack team results. Haas, on the other hand, were focused on fixing its tyre degradation issues from 2023 and as a result, spent majority of the pre-season tweaking the VF-24's set up to better suit its long-run capabilities. Overall, Red Bull and Max Verstappen still looked like the combo to beat with Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG tied for second favourites. Behind them, we will also witness a close battle between two legendary British brands, McLaren and Aston Martin. While the rest of the grid behind them will be a mixed bag, Visa Cash App RB looks to be the strongest. However, race day at next week's Bahrain Grand Prix will be the true test of constructor standings.
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