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Red Bull Runs Laps Around Other Teams During First Day of F1 Pre-Season Testing.
Verstappen’s top time cleared the rest of the field by 1.1 seconds and he ran a massive total of 143 laps.
PUBLISHED Feb 21, 2024 6:02 PM EST
By Jerry Perez
The Drive
Depending on who you ask, it's been a very long or a very short Formula 1 off-season. While many of the drivers travel around, party a bit, and get some much-needed time with their loved ones, most team personnel spend long days and nights at the factory dreading the first day of pre-season testing. Well, that day has come and gone, and here are some takeaways.
No surprises here. Pre-season testing isn't about lap times or even about going fast—it's about shaking down the car, making sure the old bits are still working, and the new bits are operating as expected. Things were working so well for Red Bull and Max Verstappen that they went long, racking up 143 laps in the new RB20. That's nearly two races worth of laps around the Bahrain International Circuit.
‘Top time cleared the rest of the field by 1.1 seconds’;
https://www.thedrive.com/news/red-bu...season-testing
2024 F1 testing results: Verstappen sets scary early tone on Day 1 in Bahrain
Max Verstappen set the tone early at Bahrain pre-season testing with a scary lap time, leading rivals by over one second
18:44, Wed, Feb 21, 2024
By Joshua Mbu
Daily and Sunday Express
Defending F1 world champion Max Verstappen fired the first warning shot of the 2024 campaign, clearing his competitors by more than one second on Day 1 of preseason testing in Bahrain. The Dutchman, who sealed a three-peat of F1 world championships last season, completed 142 laps for Red Bull, clocking in a best time of 1:31.344s.
‘Verstappen sets scary early tone’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ary-early-tone
Gary Anderson: What's really going on inside Red Bull's new sidepods
Feb 21, 2024
by Gary Anderson
The Race
Red Bull’s unusual treatment of the radiator intake and sidepod undercut on its 2024 Formula 1 car initially looked like a second vertical rad inlet beneath the conventional horizontal one - but it was difficult to be certain based on the car launch images. This apparent new direction caused quite a stir, and many people started to call it a copy of a Mercedes' ‘zero’ sidepod concept, but it is far from that.
Red Bull is one of F1’s most secretive teams, and is doing its best to hide what it can from prying eyes, but our eagle eyed photographers have still managed to capture a few more revealing shots. We often wonder why the bodywork has so many lumps and bumps on it - they are mainly to house all of this cooling and electronic gubbins.
‘Going on inside Red Bull's new sidepods’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/r...gary-anderson/
The trick Red Bull's 'vertical sidepods' were hiding
21 February 7:00PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
Paolo Filisetti casts his eye over a surprise Red Bull RB20 invention that draws attention away from the sidepods. As the 2024 cars emerged on track in Sakhir, most of the focus was on the secrets of the Red Bull RB20.
Adrian Newey's latest design certainly caught the attention of those present in the Bahrain pit-lane, and an answer to the question of the sidepod inlets was finally discovered. Up close, it became clear that the actualy inlets are horizontal, located high up under the lip positioned at the upper edge.
The vertical slit is instead serving a similar function to the bypass duct on the Ferrari SF-24. The radiators are flat, with a reduced inclination as pictures of the car without bodywork proved. But what is interesting about the RB20 is not limited to the sidepod inlets. When Max Verstappen took the RB20 out, two large inlets in the long gulleys at the base of the halo were discovered, funneling air towards the rear of the car.
‘A surprise Red Bull RB20 invention’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-trick-...ds-were-hiding
Red Bull chief's face speaks volumes as Max Verstappen smashes it at F1 testing
Gianpiero Lambiase struggled to hide his excitement as Red Bull dominated the first practice day of the F1 season.
17:53, Wed, Feb 21, 2024
By Amos Murphy
Daily and Sunday Express
Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase failed to hide his excitement during F1 pre-season testing after an impressive performance from the Red Bull racer. The reigning world champion was the pick of the drivers on the first day of a three-day test event in Bahrain.
‘Red Bull chief's face speaks volumes’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...pen-F1-testing
GianPiero Lambiase: 'We have tested most of the fundamentals'
Published on 21 February 2024
by Johan Peeters
Verstappen.nl
GianPiero Lambiase, Head of Race Engineering of Oracle Red Bull Racing, reflects after the first day of testing: "The winter break was fairly short this year but, nonetheless, the amount of work which has gone into the car has been impressive as usual. We came to Bahrain with a few unknowns around a relatively new car, but we have tested most of the fundamentals on day one and got the answers we needed to. Now we have a solid base to take onto days two and three, when Checo takes over the car in the morning."
‘Tested most of the fundamentals’;
https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5371/
Max Verstappen’s verdict on Red Bull’s ominous start with new RB20
Max Verstappen shares his first impressions of Red Bull's RB20 F1 car after making an ominous start to pre-season testing.
21 Feb 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
As was the case last year, Max Verstappen and Red Bull were in total control as F1 2024 track action kicked off with pre-season testing in Bahrain. Once Verstappen had ironed out some early handling gremlins, the Dutchman looked at one with his new challenger and appeared able to comfortably extract performance from it.
“It feels good to be back in an F1 car again and I had fun out on track today,” he summarised at the end of the day. We covered a lot of laps and tried quite a few things with the car, which was important, so happy overall with how it went.”
“After the winter break, the first few laps always surprise you a little but then you get back into the swing of things pretty quickly. Overall, the car was responding well and considering this was only testing we had a nice day. Looking to tomorrow, we are speaking to our engineers about what the plans will be, but I am looking forward to getting into the car in the afternoon.”
‘In total control’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104444...start-new-rb20
Red Bull chief Adrian Newey shows true colours after catching F1 rivals off guard
Max Verstappen dominated the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
20:12, Wed, Feb 21, 2024
By Charlie Gordon
Daily and Sunday Express
Former F1 strategy engineer Bernie Collins was convinced that Red Bull had unveiled a 'dummy car' last week in an attempt to throw off their rivals. Nobody could lay a glove on them in 2023 as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez won all bar one of the season's Grands Prix between them.
Even so, chief technical officer Newey took the bold decision to head in a different direction ahead of the upcoming campaign. The RB20 dons vertical sidepod inlets and a bulging cooling arrangement in major changes to last year's machine. The 65-year-old has a stellar reputation in the paddock, and his justification for the bold approach underlines exactly why Red Bull have got their hands on an indispensable asset.
‘Stellar reputation in the paddock’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-newey-rb20
Were Mercedes ‘sandbagging’ in F1 Testing? Almost 3 seconds off Max Verstappen and Red Bull
The Silver Arrows debut a completely new concept in Day 1 at 2024 F1 testing, and were way off the pace of frontrunner Max Verstappen in the Red Bull
February 21, 2024, 22:37
By Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Mercedes didn’t focus on optimal performance set-up according to George Russell following a dismal debut of their 2024 car at the opening day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain. After the team severed connections to its 2022 and 2023 cars, Toto Wolff’s team finished the day as 12th fastest out of 18 drivers, with Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez failing to test on Thursday. What’s even more concerning is they were 2.765 seconds slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
The team focused entirely on long runs according to Russell. “We know that it’s not about the feeling, but the speed,” Russell said after Day 1 of testing in Bahrain. “Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance. We’re focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others. We will be focused on maximising mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car.”
‘Were Mercedes ‘sandbagging?’
https://www.total-motorsport.com/geo...ll-verstappen/
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Who’s driving on Day 2 of pre-season testing in Bahrain?
A new day means more pre-season testing as drivers and teams continue their preparations for the 2024 campaign at the Bahrain International Circuit.
22 February 2024
Formula One - Official Site
With eight teams splitting their running between the morning and afternoon on Wednesday, the theme continues for Thursday’s running, though Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez will both appear for the first time this year.
‘Day 2 of pre-season testing’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ClAktNSeA.html
F1 Live: 2024 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 2 Watchalong | Live Timings + Commentary
22 February 2024
Racing Statistics
F1 Live 2024 Pre Season Testing at Bahrain | Day 2 - Morning Session F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the pre-season testing with Racing Statistics.
‘Pre-Season Testing Day 2 Watchalong’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iUZutc7_xI
[LIVE] F1 Bahrain Testing 2024 - DAY 2 Watchalong
22 February 2024
Formula Watchalong
Hi everyone and welcome along to the FORMULA 1 ARAMCO PRE-SEASON TESTING 2024! On this stream, you can see data about the current session (time/laps remaining, drivers leaderboard, drivers positions on the circuit), and also a lot of useful things about the current Grand Prix!
‘Bahrain Testing 2024 - DAY 2’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIItrss7mqE
F1 TESTING DAY 2 LIVE | Formula 1 Bahrain Live Commentary + Watchalong
22 February 2024
Forever Motorsports
Welcome to 2024 Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing! Join us here at Forever Motorsports as we bring you live F1 commentary for the F1 Pre Season Testing at Sakhir in Bahrain. Featuring live F1 commentary and timings with a detailed minimap and F1 News.
‘Live Commentary + Watchalong’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAUq1CZQ42M
[LIVE] FORMULA 1 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing 2024 - DAY 2 Watchalong | Live Timing
22 February 2024
Les Voitures Ont La Parole
Hello! Join us for the FORMULA 1 PRE-SEASON TESTING 2024! On this stream, you can see data about the current session (time/laps remaining, drivers classifying, drivers positions on the circuit), and also a lot of useful things about the current Grand Prix!
‘DAY 2 Watchalong | Live Timing’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUuf8gw2YY4
[LIVE] Timing Formula 1 pre-season test Bahrain International Circuit |DATA|
22 February 2024
racexpress
F1 2024 testing session at the Bahrain International Circuit. The teams were eager to see how their cars would perform on the challenging circuit, hoping to gather valuable data ahead of the upcoming season. The drivers pushed their machines to the limit, trying to find the perfect balance between speed and reliability. As the sun began to set over the desert track, the paddock buzzed with excitement and anticipation for the battles that lay ahead in the world of Formula 1.
‘Formula 1 pre-season test’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJliP6YVWxo
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Morning test session abandoned after Hamilton and Leclerc strike loose drain | Formula 1.
The second morning of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain ended prematurely after an issue with the kerbs caused red flags to fly shortly after the two-hour mark.
22 February 2024, 10:15
Sam Hall
RaceFans
Charles Leclerc ended the Thursday morning session at the top of the pile with a 1m31.750s set on C3 tyres in the limited running on Thursday.
But as drivers began settling into their long runs, the red flags were shown as Leclerc's Ferrari dislodged a drain cover on the run to Turn 11, before the debris was stuck by both the Ferrari driver and Lewis Hamilton.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps Tyres
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.750 36 C3
2 Oscar Piastri Mclaren 1:32.328 +0.578s 35 C3
3 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:32.578 +0.828s 30 C3
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:32.879 +1.129s 20 C3
5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:33.053 +1.303s 31 C3
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.225 +1.475s 39 C3
7 Zhou Guanyu Sauber 1:33.715 +1.965s 38 C3
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:33.804 +2.054s 33 C3
9 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:37.509 +5.759s 31 C3
10Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:38.074 +6.324s 40 C3
‘Morning test session abandoned’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/2...hort/10578594/
Bahrain test halted as Hamilton and Leclerc strike loose drain.
The second day of running in the Bahrain pre-season test has been halted for a track inspection after a drain cover appeared to come loose and damage cars.
22nd February 2024, 9:49
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
A drain cover on the outside of the circuit along the back straight on the approach to turn 11 appears to have been dislodged after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc ran over it while braking for the left-hand corner. Footage showed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes then ran over the same area and appeared to hit the loose covering, before Leclerc struck the debris on his next lap by.
FIA race director Niels Wittich suspended the test with a red flag and immediately climbed into the Safety Car to be brought to the scene of the incident on the way into turn 11. The FIA have issued a message to all teams that running will be resumed following a track inspection. Mercedes mechanics have been seen investigating the underside of Hamilton’s W15 following the debris strike. Ferrari have put up shutters outside their garage, indicating they have removed the floor from Leclerc’s car.
It is the second time in just under 100 days that a Ferrari Formula 1 car appears to have struck and been damaged by a covering on a race track. Leclerc’s team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr suffered major damage to his Ferrari during opening practice for last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix after hitting a drain covering along the Las Vegas Strip.
‘Ferrari have put up shutters outside their garage, indicating they have removed the floor from Leclerc’s car’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/22/...e-loose-drain/
F1 testing hit by red flag for broken drain cover
22 February 2024, 10:40AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
It is the first red flag of pre-season testing mid-way through the morning session on Day 2. Day 2 of pre-season Formula 1 testing has been hit by a red flag after a drain cover broke at Turn 11.
Just after the two-hour mark of the session, a red flag was thrown for no apparent reason with no car stopped on track or obvious debris visible.
However, it quickly became clear that a drain on the outside of the entry to Turn 11 had broken - with a gap visible in the drain. Drivers had been running wide on the entrance into Turn 11 to swing into the left-hander, with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari dislodging the cover.
As next car through, Lewis Hamilton then broke the cover when his Mercedes ran over it, with Leclerc then collecting the debris on his next lap. The session was suspended to allow for a track inspection as Ferrari and Mercedes inspected their cars to check for damage. Leclerc sits atop the times under the suspension on a 1:31.750 effort, with Hamilton in sixth.
‘Red flag for broken drain cover’;
https://racingnews365.com/f1-testing...en-drain-cover
Revealed: The Ferrari innovation that’s ‘something nobody’s done before’
22 Feb 2024 9:00 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
All eyes in testing may be on Red Bull and Mercedes’ innovations, but F1 technical analyst Sam Collins has revealed there are parts on the new Ferrari SF-24 that “nobody’s done before”.
Pointing to the sharp fin on the engine cover, and stating that “Ferrari have been experimenting with this design”, Collins told F1TV that’s just the beginning of the innovations around the engine cover area. “Ferrari have been playing with the mounts around the TV camera housings, they’re slightly kinked as they come out of the bodywork. Ferrari is the only team to do that.
“I just think that’s a little area of exploration to be exploited, and that’s something Ferrari has been doing quite a lot in this part of the car. The aero rakes they were running this morning were sculpted around the bodywork for a reason because they’ve got some really interesting new bodywork on the edge of the Halo. You can just see it sticking out on the side of the rear part of the Halo.”
‘The Ferrari innovation’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...sting-analysis
Leclerc sets pace at two-hour mark of Day 2
22 February 10:00AM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
Charles Leclerc set the pace at the beginning of day two for Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. The Ferrari driver set a best time on the C3 tyres of a 1:31.750s, ahead of Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant. Leclerc clocked 29 laps in the SF-24 and settled in to long runs midway through the morning session.
Sergio Pérez suffered an early set back when he completed three laps, but had to dive into the pits due to a problem with his brakes. After a small fire on the front right the team managed to change them and send him back out, but the Red Bull driver has only completed 17 laps so far.
Lewis Hamilton is behind the wheel of the W15 for the first time, setting the seventh quickest time after 27 laps. The team were also seen working hard in the opening stages of the session on his car, while out on track the Mercedes looked like it was suffering a lot from understeer during his timed runs.
‘Leclerc sets pace’;
https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-se...-mark-of-day-2
Problems for Red Bull as Sergio Perez’s RB20 gets a ‘bit too hot’ in Bahrain
22 Feb 2024 7:39 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
After Max Verstappen’s 140-plus laps on Wednesday, Sergio Perez found himself sidelined early Thursday morning as his front left brake caught fire when he returned to the pits after his first run. Red Bull dominated Day One of pre-season testing with Verstappen topping both the timesheet and the lap count.
Alas, his team-mate Perez didn’t have that sort of fortune on Thursday as, yet to put in a proper flying lap and some six seconds down on Charles Leclerc, he pulled into the pits and his brakes caught fire. Perez’s team told PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher that the “front brakes got a bit too hot and we’re just making some corrections now before we head back out.”
Brake issues, and the potential for a small fire, are not unusual occurrences in Formula 1 as pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz explained. “It’s one thing being a second ahead of everybody else, but the car has to be reliable and it’s not,” he said. “For the moment the car of Checo Perez, the RB20, is in bits with a brake problem in the garage.”
‘Problems for Red Bull’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/proble...rez-brake-fire
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Sainz uses softer tyres to lead Perez by 0.7 seconds on day two of test.
Carlos Sainz Jnr posted the quickest time in the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, seven tenths of a second ahead of Sergio Perez.
22nd February 2024, 16:25
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Carlos Sainz Jnr posted the quickest time in the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, seven tenths of a second ahead of Sergio Perez.
Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps
1 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Ferrari SF-24 1’29.921 84
2 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull RB20 1’30.679 0.758 129
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W15 1’31.066 1.145 123
4 4 Lando Norris McLaren MCL38 1’31.256 1.335 52
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB RB01 1’31.361 1.440 88
6 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-24 1’31.750 1.829 54
7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR24 1’32.029 2.108 96
8 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine A524 1’32.061 2.140 78
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Sauber C44 1’32.227 2.306 97
10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL38 1’32.328 2.407 35
‘2024 Formula 1 pre-season Bahrain test – Day two complete times’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/22/...y-two-of-test/
F1 Testing 2024 Day 2: Highlights, fastest times, laps completed
February 22, 2024, 16:18
By Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
End of Day 2 testing: And with that, we conclude the second day of testing. Carlos Sainz took an hour to turn up in the afternoon but when he did, he really did, setting an excellent 1:29.921 fastest lap which was almost as quick as the 2023 Bahrain GP pole time. His long runs looked good too.
Sergio Perez had a tricky session after struggling for pace in the earlier stages but he found his groove right at the end after recording the most laps of any driver today. The Red Bull man did have to survive a scare, however, as his car lost drive although it seemed to be a quick fix for his engineers as he was quickly back out.
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seems planted, predictable and consistent whilst also seeming pretty competitive to their upper-midfield rivals showing an encouraging amount of progress for Mercedes after difficult 2022 and 2023 seasons.
‘Highlights’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...rnoon-session/
Gary Anderson's trackside verdict on every 2024 F1 car
Feb 22, 2024
by Gary Anderson
The Race
RED BULL: Even on the race runs, you can see how strong the Red Bull is in terms of the corner speed that can be carried.
MERCEDES: The Mercedes doesn’t look bad, but it does look a little unstable.
FERRARI: When the Ferrari wasn’t hitting drain covers - which it did while I was watching at Turn 11 this morning - it was looking like a good, consistent car.
McLAREN: The McLaren looks sharp on turn-in but generally seems to avoid picking up too much understeer mid-corner and looks fairly consistent.
ASTON MARTIN: Whether in the hands of Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll, the Aston Martin looks like a good, sensible car.
ALPINE: Every time I’ve seen the Alpine arrive into Turn 11 it looks like a new experience for the driver - so, not very consistent.
WILLIAMS: The Williams doesn’t look like the most connected car and when watching Logan Sargeant on his race run through the long left-hander, he almost seemed to be taking it in stages.
RB: It turns in well, has reasonable grip through the corner and generally can carry the speed.
SAUBER: I spotted a couple of tiny lock-ups that led to Bottas running wide on Thursday afternoon but this looks like a perfectly decent place for Sauber to work from.
HAAS: So this looks like a good, solid car that’s not doing anything untoward. It just needs to be quicker.
‘Gary Anderson's trackside verdict’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...gary-anderson/
F1 tech expert names the team at Bahrain test whose car looks ’10 years out of date’
Thu 22 February 2024 16:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Pre-season testing may have only just started in Bahrain, but already there’s a worry that the 2024 Williams looks 10 years out of date. However, speaking on The Race Podcast and reflecting on Wednesday’s action, F1 technical expert Gary Anderson brought the British team quickly back down to earth.
Anderson said: “The challenge of engineering is high in that regard. The Williams, I’m sorry, but it’s 10 years out of date. There’s nothing exotic about the engineering on it, it’s all relatively basic and that is the spread from the front to the back. As I say with the Williams, and they had a few problems today [Wednesday] so they didn’t actually strip it down a bit in the garage and again it’s the same old thing.”
“When Mercedes or Red Bull strip the cars down in the garage, normally they would get it covered up pretty quickly or have people standing in the way. But Williams, they didn’t really bother with that too much and that’s why you can sort of say, they’ve got a radiator duct for example and it’s got a radiator in it, that’s it. There’s no real sort of sophistication there, it’s pretty basic.”
‘Same old thing’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/teams/f1...s-out-of-date/
Charles Leclerc warns ‘Red Bull quite a bit ahead’ despite headline Ferrari pace.
22 Feb 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Charles Leclerc believes Red Bull are still “quite a bit ahead” of Ferrari despite the Italian team showing outstanding pace on day two of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. Assessing the current competitiveness of the SF-24, Leclerc said: “It feels like every winter test which means that we don’t understand a thing because for now it’s too early to say.
“We have no idea what the fuel levels are of everybody else. In terms of driveability, the car is a lot better compared to last year. Last year after the test it was very, very difficult to push it into a direction because we just didn’t know the car was doing. We would get in a corner and we didn’t know if we would have extreme oversteer or extreme understeer.”
“This year the car is not like that which is a better starting point, however, my initial feeling is Red Bull remains quite a bit ahead. Yesterday they’ve done very impressive lap times but that is only my own times, not looking at data for now.”
‘Charles Leclerc is adamant Red Bull are still the team to beat’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104454...e-ferrari-pace
Perez benefits from unexpected full-day stint in Bahrain
22/02/2024 at 17:22
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Sergio Perez had been expecting to get his first proper taste of the Red Bull RB20 on Thursday morning in pre-season testing in Bahrain, but he ended up getting twice as much as he bargained for. After Max verstappen had a full day behind the wheel on Wednesday, today's plan was for Perez to take over for the morning session before Verstappen resumed in the afternoon.
But a problem with a drain cover curtailed the morning session after just 80 minutes, with the afternoon session being extended to five hours instead - which would have left Perez significantly down on time in the cockpit. As a result, the team opted to keep Perez in the car. “It was unexpected to be in the car all day today but the delays meant my early runs were cut short so the team decided to extend my day. And I'm back in the car again tomorrow morning."
"The red flag this morning led us to changing the driver swap we had planned for post-lunch, as it would have otherwise unfairly limited Checo’s early impression of the RB20," reported Red Bull's head of race engineering GianPiero Lambiase.
‘Unexpected full-day stint’;
https://f1i.com/news/500305-perez-be...n-bahrain.html
Perez says field ‘a lot closer than people think’ as he reveals shock at Red Bull’s RB20 concept
22 February 2024
Formula One - Official Site
With Red Bull having given Perez an unexpected full day in the car after a red flag cut short his morning run, the Mexican was asked about his first impressions of the RB20 – which he’ll drive again tomorrow morning, before handing over to team mate Max Verstappen for the final afternoon’s running. “Generally speaking, it’s definitely a step forward in the right direction with the car,” he replied.
“It’s obviously a very tricky track, with the morning to the afternoon, dialling in some set-up, and getting to understand some set-up compound. It’s very tricky because the track is changing pretty much every outing, so you have to base everything pretty much on your feeling.” Asked about the growing sentiment from Red Bull’s rivals that they start the 2024 season as favourites – team mate Max Verstappen having gone comfortably quickest during his first outing in the car on Wednesday.
Perez countered: “I believe that things are a lot closer than we are thinking, definitely. I don’t really think that we’ve had much of a look [at our rivals] in that regard,” he added. “At the moment we’re basically focused on our job, we’ve been so busy with our programme. I think tomorrow, there will be a bit more of an idea, but I think we will find out next Sunday [following the Bahrain Grand Prix].”
‘A lot closer than people think’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...cwpKUPgDc.html
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Red Bull's 2024 F1 step leaves rivals 'wowed' - and fearful.
Red Bull’s 2024 Formula 1 car has ‘wowed’ one team principal and left other rivals fearing the worst ahead of the new season during testing in Bahrain.
Feb 22, 2024
by Scott Mitchell-Malm
The ease of Verstappen’s laptime on day one has caught the eye of other teams and the mileage racked up over two days, even with a couple of setbacks, has been mighty. Verstappen and his colleagues barely even tried to hide how satisfied they were on day one, while on day two Perez said it was clear the car was a “step forward”.
“I have to say, when I saw the car, I was like, ‘wow’ - they certainly were brave in changing some of the shapes that made that car that was so successful last year,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
“They could enjoy such an advantage last year, that gave them the confidence from a timeline point of view to take some risks early on to actually see whether it works.” Stella was fearful of what Red Bull could unleash in 2024 after spending most of 2023 not bringing upgrades to the RB19 and instead just focusing its development time and budget cap allowance on the RB20.
‘McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was fearful’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/r...ls-f1-testing/
Lewis Hamilton’s lukewarm verdict to Mercedes W15: ‘A good foundation to build on’
Lewis Hamilton has given his reaction to driving the Mercedes W15 for the first time in anger during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
22 Feb 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Lewis Hamilton has labelled the Mercedes W15 F1 car as a “good foundation to build on” after a full day of running in Bahrain. Reflecting on his first day in the car, Hamilton described the W15 as “much nicer to drive” compared to its predecessor. "It was a productive day out there," Hamiton said. "We gathered lots of learnings about the W15, both in our long running and single lap work.”
"We've clearly made an improvement with this year's car and it's much nicer to drive. A big thank you to everyone at Brackley and Brixworth for the efforts they've put in to deliver that over the past year. I'm really grateful for all their hard work. We've still got progress to make of course. But this is a good foundation for us to build on,” he added.
"We'll keep our heads down and continue to work to find improvements, both over the rest of the test and into next week. I'm looking forward to being back in the car tomorrow morning and continuing that learning."
‘Lukewarm verdict’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104454...undation-build
McLaren hit by 'small issues' on second day of testing
22/02/2024 at 19:17
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
McLaren was able to keep up the pace in the second day of pre-season testing at Bahrain International Circuit, although the team admitted afterwards that it had encountered a number of small issues during the day.
Oscar Piastri was in charge of the MCL38 on Thursday morning, although the session was curtailed after just 80 minutes due to problems with the track. He finished his stint after 35 laps with a best time of 1:32.328s.
After an early lunch, Lando Norris got the benefit of a longer five hour afternoon and evening session, completing 52 laps with a best time of 1:31.256s which put him fourth fastest for the day.
'Small issues';
https://f1i.com/news/500326-mclaren-...f-testing.html
Alex Albon makes record-breaking Max Verstappen prediction for Bahrain Grand Prix
Thu 22 February 2024 19:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Williams star Alex Albon has predicted what Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is going to do at the first Grand Prix of the 2024 season in Bahrain. After two days of testing the three-time world champion looks like the quickest racer on the grid in his new Red Bull car.
Verstappen gunning for another unprecedented season: As they watched testing continue on Thursday afternoon, reporter Rachel Brookes said: “So, is this race lap record going to go this weekend Alex? I mean qualifying, pole last year was a 1:29.7, I mean Carlos [Sainz] is not far off that already but the actual lap record during the race is a 1:31.447, do you think that’s going to go next weekend?”
Albon responded: “Yeah. I’m going to already hypothesise what’s going to happen. Max [Verstappen] is going to have a 25-second lead, he’s going to go for a pit stop at the end of the race and he’s going to go for it at the end and break the lap record!”
‘Record-breaking Max Verstappen prediction for Bahrain Grand Prix’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/drivers/...in-grand-prix/
The key takeaways from Day 2 of F1 testing in Bahrain
22 February 9:00PM
Author Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Red Bull not indestructible: Impressive testing mileage with limited days of running has been achieved in Formula 1's modern era through the improvement in reliability, with cars running into far fewer woes compared to previous decades. However, the cars are not unbreakable and neither, it seems, is Red Bull who enter the year as the heavy favourite to claim both titles once again.
Sergio Perez's morning session was disrupted by a brake issue that kept him in the garage for some time. Later in the session, the six-time race winner limped back to the pit lane with another problem - however his stay in the garage was much shorter and he emerged back to set the highest lap tally during the day from a single driver.
Such issues are not dramatic in testing but in a race scenario, they may see the curtains drawn. If Red Bull wishes to repeat or better its record-breaking campaign from last year, these small instances will need to be ironed out.
‘Mercedes' step forward, Ferrari comfortable but reserved, RB a threat?’
https://racingnews365.com/the-key-ta...ing-in-bahrain
Everything that happened on day two of F1 testing
Feb 22, 2024
by Jack Cozens
The Race
Carlos Sainz put Ferrari on top on the second day of 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain with a new fastest time of the week. Sainz's best lap, a 1m29.921s, ensured the Ferrari stayed on top after team-mate Charles Leclerc headed the truncated morning session in the SF-24.
Key moments
• Ferrari 0.7s up on Red Bull with tyre offset
• Norris's running restricted
• Perez, Hamilton and Sargeant all clear 100 laps
But his (Carlos Sainz) 0.758-second advantage over Sergio Perez's Red Bull was not quite as it appeared, as Perez's best time of 1m30.679s - set in the final five minutes of conventional running - was set on the mid-range C3 tyre, one step harder than the C4 used by Sainz.
‘Everything that happened’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...ay-two-report/
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Who’s driving on Day 3 of pre-season testing in Bahrain?
Time moves quickly in the world of F1, with the third and final day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit already upon us.
23 February 2024
Formula One - Official Site
It means this is the last opportunity for drivers and teams to gather data before the 2024 campaign gets under way at the same Sakhir venue next weekend.
‘Check out the full Friday testing driver line-up’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Q4V94FCip.html
LIVE: 2024 F1 Pre-season testing - Day 3
23 February 7:15AM
Author Jake Nichol
Follow the final day of F1 pre-season testing live from Bahrain with the RacingNews365 live blog! And now, the end is near, and so we face the final day of F1 pre-season testing. Just three days of action are all the teams and drivers get ahead of the new season, with the next time they'll be on track after today being the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend between February 29th and March 2nd.
Eight hours - minus any red flags or any broken drain covers - are left, with Carlos Sainz being the stand-out driver on Day 2, becoming the first driver to break the 1:30 barrier of the test on the C4 tyres. His effort of 1:29.921 was only two-tenths slower than Max Verstappen's pole time from the 2023 race and bodes well as Charles Leclerc also showed a good turn of pace.
But Verstappen's pace on Day 1 was sinister, ending it over one second clear of the field. Who will end testing fastest and head into the Bahrain GP next weekend on a high and who will still have work to do?
‘LIVE: Day 3’;
https://racingnews365.com/live-2024-...-testing-day-3
[LIVE] FORMULA 1 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing 2024 - DAY 3 Watchalong | Live Timing
22nd February 2024.
Les Voitures Ont La Parole
On this stream, you can see data about the current session (time/laps remaining, drivers classifying, drivers positions on the circuit), and also a lot of useful things about the current Grand Prix!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4pMW1CbqzI
F1 Live: 2024 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing Day 3 Watchalong | Live Timings + Commentary
22nd February 2024.
Racing Statistics
F1 Live 2024 Pre Season Testing at Bahrain | Day 3 - Morning Session F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the pre-season testing with Racing Statistics. Lets Watchalong!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsuucWJSzfs
F1 DIRECTO | TEST PRETEMPORADA BAHREIN 2024 - DÍA 3 - Live Timing
22nd February 2024.
ORTUÑO TV
Imágenes y vídeos mostrados, no son de nuestra autoría. Créditos totales para los dueños de los mismos. Credits to the respective autors: Motorsport Images, Latam Images, Sutton Images, Getty Images, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, FIA, Formula 1, FOM. This website is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula 1 companies. F1, FORMULA ONE, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing B.V.
‘TEST PRETEMPORADA BAHREIN 2024’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLHPCtaR3E
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Final day of 2024 F1 testing stopped by further track repairs.
Once again a drain cover came loose and the red flag was required. An inspection of the damage and repairs to the kerb were once again carried out before the decision to end the morning session was effectively made.
Feb 23, 2024
by Josh Suttill
The Race
Following a disrupted second day, when the morning session was prematurely ended while track repairs were carried out to the kerbs on the entry to the Turn 11 left-hander, day three lasted less than half an hour before it was halted.
It made the stoppage time a pseudo lunch break (originally scheduled for 2-3pm local time) and means when the session resumes, it will theoretically run until 7pm local time, the planned end of test time.
‘Final day of 2024 F1 testing stopped’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...-halted-again/
Bahrain morning session red flagged by repeat drain cover issue
23/02/2024 at 08:04
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Friday’s final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain was disrupted once again, as a repeat issue with a loose drain cover brought out the red flag just 27 minutes into the morning session. This marked the second such incident in as many days, raising concerns about track safety and preparation, and once again the drama unfolded at Turn 11, the scene of yesterday’s drain cover incident.
Located on the outside of the corner’s kerb, near the racing line, the cover apparently became dislodged after Red Bull's Sergio Perez ran over it during his early laps. Importantly, Perez stayed within track limits, highlighting the inherent weakness of the cover rather than driver error.
‘Red flagged’;
https://f1i.com/news/500351-bahrain-...ver-issue.html
F1 to adopt new schedule for Day 3 of testing after drain incident
23 February 9:30AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Formula 1 has tweaked the session timings for the final day of pre-season testing following more drain incidents in Bahrain. Early on Friday morning, the same drain that came loose on Thursday did so again when Sergio Perez ran over it at Turn 11.
A lengthy red flag followed with race director Niels Wittich overseeing operations to repair the broken drain. As a result of the delay, F1 has taken steps to reschedule the day.
The current plan is for a restart of the session at 11:45am local time - 08:45am UK - and for the session to then run through until 19:00pm local time - 16:00pm UK. In effect, once the session resumes, it will be a clear run through until the end of the day, minus any further red flag delays.
‘New schedule’;
https://racingnews365.com/f1-to-adop...drain-incident
F1 testing suspended again on day three due to same loose drain cover issue
The morning session on day three of pre-season testing in Bahrain was stopped after just 20 minutes
22nd February 2024, 08:16
Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
The Independent
Formula 1 testing was suspended again early on day three due to a loose drain cover - at the same part of the track which had a similar issue on Thursday.
Lewis Hamilton, driving in the W15 for the first time ahead of his final season with Mercedes, ran over the loose cover on the edge of the kerb at turn 11 on Thursday.
And just 20 minutes into the morning session on Friday, Sergio Perez in his Red Bull drove over the kerb at turn 11, triggering the loose drain cover.
‘Loose drain cover issue’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2501156.html
Fresh Bahrain F1 2024 testing disruption as curse of the drain covers returns
23 Feb 2024 7:56 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
It did not take long for the red flags to reappear on the third and final day of Bahrain F1 2024 testing due to further drain cover troubles.
As the red flags came out to neutralise the morning running early on, it soon became clear that the Turn 11 drain cover which sparked Thursday’s shenanigans had once more come loose. This time, it was after Perez had taken his Red Bull RB20 over the kerbs.
‘Fresh Bahrain F1 2024 testing disruption’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fresh-...n-covers-day-3
Bahrain drain cover issues explained | 'This is a warning to every circuit'
Friday 23 February 2024 08:21, UK
Sky Sports
‘Warning to every circuit';
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...-every-circuit
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All you need to know about final pre-season F1 test day.
Ferrari ended 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing on top as Charles Leclerc pipped Mercedes' George Russell to the fastest time on day three.
Feb 23, 2024
by Jack Cozens
The Race
KEY MOMENTS
• Leclerc's long-standing benchmark fastest by 0.046s
• Verstappen four tenths back but on harder tyre
• Day three sessions merged after red flag in morning
DAY THREE TIMES
1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m30.322s, C5, 74 laps
2 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.046s, C4, 67 laps
3 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) +0.325s, C4, 85 laps
4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.433s, C3, 66 laps
5 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +0.453s, C4, 53 laps
6 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.662s, C4, 121 laps
7 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.708s, C3, 91 laps
8 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.837s, C3, 75 laps
9 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.925s, C3, 71 laps
10 Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +1.161s, C3, 53 laps
‘All you need to know’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...-three-report/
Leclerc concludes F1 testing on top for Ferrari
23 February 5:09PM
Author Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Charles Leclerc has ended pre-season testing on top of the timesheets, laying down a 1:30.322 behind the wheel of the Ferrari. The Monegasque driver narrowly edged out Mercedes' George Russell who set a time late on to slot in 0.046s behind Leclerc.
While Russell's fastest time was set on the C4 compound, Leclerc used the C5 - the softest in Pireilli's range - to climb to the top of the standings. Zhou Guanyu also produced a late effort to take third place for the rebranded Stake F1 team.
The day's schedule was altered after a loose drain cover caused a delay for the second consecutive day, with the lunch break abandoned to allow non-stop running through to 19:00 local time. There were no major dramas for the teams during the day, although Pierre Gasly was forced back into the pits late on after his inside wheel arch came loose and fell onto the track.
‘Leclerc concludes F1 testing on top’;
https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-co...op-for-ferrari
F1 2024 PRE-SEASON TESTING DAY THREE RESULTS
Who will show their hand on F1's final day of pre-season testing before the first race?
February 23, 2024
James Phillips
FormulaNerds
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets on the final day of testing in Bahrain, on a day of long runs and sandbagging by the teams. After a loose drain cover caused yesterday’s morning session to be curtailed, the pressure was on the teams to make up for lost time in the afternoon.
Although testing times are notoriously difficult to interpret, Ferrari clearly enjoyed a positive second day. McLaren and Mercedes continued their strong starts, while Aston Martin had an air of quiet confidence. After Max Verstappen’s dominant performance on the first day, debate raged over Red Bull’s advantage. Sergio Perez never topped the times in either session, but the drivability and solid balance of the RB20 continued to attract attention.
As the teams headed into the final day, all eyes were on Red Bull to see if Max Verstappen would reveal the team’s hand. Could its rivals pull a surprise as testing drew to a close? The team that needed to do the most work was Williams. The Grove outfit had a difficult second day, hampered by reliability issues. All drivers would take to the track today, barring Logan Sargeant in the Williams.
‘Drivability and solid balance of the RB20 continued to attract attention’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/f1...three-results/
What we learned from Day 3 of F1 2024 pre-season testing in Bahrain
Ferrari once again led the way on the final day of 2024 F1 pre-season testing, with Red Bull and Mercedes also looking strong
February 23, 2024, 17:08
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport
Formula 1 testing is officially complete, and teams now have just five days to make any last changes before they hit the Bahrain International Circuit for the first free practice session of the season.
McLaren have work to do: The flying papaya have flattered to deceive a tad over the week, but we saw a bit more of their hand today.
Dark horses? Ferrari understandably grabbed the headlines on day two with Carlos Sainz topping the timesheets and also driving well on the longer runs, and they were impressive once again today with Leclerc taking P1.
Perez starts on the back foot: Verstappen indicated at lunchtime he already felt like he’d seen enough of the car before jumping in for the final afternoon of running, which should certainly shiver Sergio Perez‘s timbers.
Reliability is in: Apart from the drain pain, it’s been a remarkably smooth test all round. There were no red flags caused by stricken cars, which could well be a first in F1 testing history – it’s certainly a long way removed from 2014 which saw problem upon problem befall the grid (or 11 tenths of it at least).
‘What we learned from Day 3’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...sting-bahrain/
Five things we learned from F1 2024 pre-season testing in Bahrain
February 23, 2024
Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
The Independent
It’s been three days of non-stop action in testing this week, as the 2024 F1 season started with hundreds of laps for each driver around the Bahrain International Circuit. Red Bull, with their bold approach for this year’s RB20, continued to set the pace from the off, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen quickest on day one.
Red Bull maintain huge advantage: They couldn’t get any better, could they? It seems as though they could. When the talk of the paddock is of Red Bull having an advantage which could be as much as 1.1 seconds, optimism will be sky-high among the peerless world champions right now.
How the RB20 performed with an altered approach different from last year’s all-conquering RB19 would be the main storyline. A backward step, opening a slight door to the chasing pack? Not a jolt of it. Though timings are not everything in testing, Verstappen was fastest on day one (by 1.14 seconds) and fourth-quickest on day three, but on a slower tyre than those above him. Perez concluded day two in P2. It’s no coincidence.
‘Red Bull remain the No 1 outfit’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2501523.html
MORNING SESSION TIMES.
Sainz quickest in disrupted start to final test day
Posted on 23rd February 2024, 11:43
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Carlos Sainz Jnr topped the timing screens as the final day of testing reached its original scheduled stopping point. However the running continued, having been suspended for more than an hour earlier in the day due to another broken drain cover. Sainz, who also finished yesterday’s test on top, was two tenths of a second faster than Red Bull’s Sergio Perez after the first four hours.
2024 Formula 1 pre-season Bahrain test, Day three times after four hours:
Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps
1 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari SF-24 1’31.247 62
2 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull RB20 1’31.483 0.236 50
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W15 1’31.999 0.752 49
4 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR24 1’32.038 0.791 46
5 4 Lando Norris McLaren MCL38 1’32.108 0.861 20
6 23 Alexander Albon Williams FW46 1’32.583 1.336 34
7 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas VF-24 1’33.053 1.806 80
8 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine A524 1’33.079 1.832 55
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Sauber C44 1’33.528 2.281 28
10 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB RB01 1’37.015 5.768 70
‘Disrupted start to final test day’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/23/...inal-test-day/
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Mark Hughes: How Ferrari really stacks up vs Red Bull after testing.
Pre-season Formula 1 testing all shook out in a fairly understandable way in the end.
Feb 23, 2024
by Mark Hughes
The Race
Max Verstappen, who was only fourth on the headline numbers on the final day, set a 1m30.755s early on Friday afternoon on a set of mid-range C3 tyres which had already done an attack lap. Realistically, that’s the equivalent of a 1m30.5s lap on fresh C3s. The three cars ahead of the Red Bull on the final timing screens – the Ferrari, the Mercedes and a literally last lap flying Sauber – all did their times on the C4 tyre, which is around 0.6s quicker than the C3.
Theoretically correcting everyone to fresh C3s – and bearing in mind that Verstappen’s time came at around 4pm with the track at an unhelpfully hot 34-degrees C – the Red Bull appeared to have a real advantage of around 0.4 seconds over Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and George Russell’s Mercedes over a single lap.
The Ferrari’s pace has been evident throughout the three days of testing whereas that of the Mercedes was only extracted late on the final day. Furthermore, Mercedes didn’t get to do a race simulation as it devoted its time to relatively short runs assessing test items. So we don’t have a full picture on just exactly where Mercedes stands…
‘Formula 1 testing all shook out in a fairly understandable way’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...ghes-analysis/
Ferrari encouraged by test, but wary of raised expectations
23/02/2024 at 18:32
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Ferrari principal Frederic Vasseur said be was pleased by the team's performance in the official pre-season test at Bahrain this week, but stressed it was still too early to tell how they compared to other teams. Carlos Sainz was set the best time of the week on Thursday and Charles Leclerc was quickest on Thursday, after Red Bull's Max Verstappen had initially dominated the timesheets on the opening day.
"We can be pleased with what we’ve achieved during this test, both in terms of the mileage covered and the raft of data it has provided," Vasseur declared after the chequered flag fell on the final day. "These were three productive days, with no technical problems, which is what you want most, especially when it’s the only session before the start of the season," he added.
"I feel I can say that looking just at our own performance, we have got off on the right foot," he said, admitting that it wouldn't be until next weekend's Bahrain GP that they will really be able to tell how they compare to their rivals. "I expect several top teams to all be at a very similar level and I can’t wait to see exactly how our package compares to that of our competitors."
‘Wary of raised expectations’;
https://f1i.com/news/500485-ferrari-...ectations.html
TESTING DEBRIEF: How the field stack up after the final day of pre-season running in 2024
23 February 2024
Lawrence Barretto
F1 Correspondent & Presenter
Formula One - Official Site
Red Bull’s RB20 looks menacing: Like most teams, Red Bull focused heavily on long running to get a better understanding of their RB20 – which is a dramatically different offering to its predecessor – and the results were positive, with Max Verstappen saying the “performance of the car was very strong”.
Mercedes continue solid start: Mercedes are not getting too excited about their 2024 challenger, the W15, but there is a noticeable bump in their mood relative to this time last year.
Ferrari make a clean sweep of decent days: Ferrari cut encouraged figures on Day 1 of testing – and that feeling remained through the second day and into Friday.
Aston Martin not quite as strong as last year: Last year’s pre-season test session was a delight for Aston Martin, the green cars emerging as a shock rival to class-leaders Red Bull.
‘TESTING DEBRIEF’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...mpG7x03NR.html
F1 Testing 2024: Which drivers and teams completed the most laps in Bahrain?
The F1 teams and drivers spend three days testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2024 season
February 23, 2024 - 18:47
By Joe Krishnan
Total Motorsport
After fitting in a gruelling 24 hours of Formula 1 Testing over three days in Bahrain desert, all 10 teams and 20 drivers will go away for a well-earned rest, knowing much more about their cars now than they did when they first rocked up at the circuit on Wednesday morning.
Most laps completed – Drivers
Pos Driver Total Laps
1 Kevin Magnussen 239
2 Carlos Sainz 224
3 Max Verstappen 209
4 Daniel Ricciardo 209
5 Nico Hulkenberg 202
6 Lance Stroll 195
7 Esteban Ocon 193
8 Valtteri Bottas 193
9 Charles Leclerc 192
10 George Russell 188
Most laps completed – Teams
Pos Team Total Laps
1 Haas 441
2 Ferrari 416
3 Red Bull 391
4 Aston Martin 378
5 Sauber 378
6 RB 366
7 Mercedes 360
8 Alpine 333
9 McLaren 327
10 Williams 308
‘Drivers and teams completing the most laps’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-laps-bahrain/
The Red Bull indicator that will worry its F1 rivals
23 February 7:30PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
On the final day of pre-season testing, Max Verstappen gave hints at Red Bull's true pace over their rivals after completing a long run on the C3 tyres. It was a statement of intent from Max Verstappen when he fitted a set of C3 medium tyres under what is expected to be race conditions in Bahrain and proceeded to power through 14 laps at a consistent pace.
The reality has slowly dawned on the teams that the RB20 is the step that Red Bull was hoping for in terms of performance, with only minor setbacks relating to their brakes throughout the three days. As the twilight conditions descended over the track and the air temperature dropped to 23 degrees centigrade, Verstappen turned switched his focus to race runs on the mediums.
Verstappen looked comfortable on track as he lapped in the low 1:37s before switching to the C1 hard and repeating the time feat throughout a 17-lap stint. His quickest time on the C3 came 10 laps into the run, showing that the RB20 handles its tyres well on one of the most abrasive surfaces on the calendar.
‘Worry its F1 rivals’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-red-bu...-its-f1-rivals
What we learned from F1 testing — and why you can never trust the lap times
February 24th, 2024 11:42 am
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
With the F1 prologue is complete, team will spend the days leading up to next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix painstakingly analysing gigabytes of data in pursuit of every last millisecond of performance. That leaves us to consider what we learnt from what we could see from the outside during three days of testing.
But looking at the raw timing data after testing is bound to give you a misleading impression of the competitive order. Not all that data is publicly available, but F1 has attempted a corrected order. We’ve applied the F1-estimated data to our theoretical tyre-corrected times.
Times by team — F1 estimate
1. Red Bull Racing: 1m 30.595s
2. Ferrari: +0.226s
3. McLaren: +0.380s
4. Mercedes: +0.571s
5. RB: +0.734s
6. Aston Martin: +0.852s
7. Alpine: +1.042s
8. Sauber: +1.051s
9. Williams: +1.123s
10. Haas: +1.323s
‘Painstakingly analysing gigabytes of data’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...9df8ff726e2aef
Time for the Debrief - F1 2024 Pre Season Testing Day 3 Reaction
22:07 Fri, 23 Feb 2024.
Motorsport.com
Day three of 2024's F1 Pre-Season Testing is over, and as the teams go over the data, there is little time before Round One of the championship in just a week's time. But what have we learnt?
Is there a pecking order? And who's in the best place to challenge Red Bull? Steph Wentworth chats with Jon Noble and Sam Hall to answer all these questions and more.
‘Time for the Debrief’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/video/...action/647303/
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The title is already Verstappen's, says Alonso.
"19 drivers in the paddock will think that they will not win the championship," says Fernando Alonso as he tips Max Verstappen to continue title-winning streak.
24/02/2024
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
As far as veteran Alonso is concerned, it's over before it's even begun. "I don't have a crystal ball to know what the others are doing," he told reporters. "But Max is the world champion and Red Bull is dominating the sport, also, the concept that they presented this year, it's also a surprise.”
"At the moment, we just have to watch them and see how they perform," he added. "I think 19 drivers in the paddock now will think that they will not win the championship. It happens 99% of the time in your career. This is a brutal sport.”
"After seeing Max and the Red Bull car this year, there are less chances for everybody to win a race this year," the Spaniard continued. "But this is how it is."
“Brutal sport”;
https://www.pitpass.com/77033/The-ti...ns-says-Alonso
Russell says Mercedes have cured ‘diva’ characteristics of recent years – but Red Bull ‘100% favourites’ for 2024
24 February 2024
Formula One - Official Site
George Russell has expressed further optimism over the steps Mercedes appear to have made over the winter, but he still feels Red Bull will be the team to beat at the start of the 2024 season. Russell said: “It was great to be back in the car, driving the W15 for the first time, and it does feel a step in the right direction. But there’s no hiding that our competitors have also done a really great job.”
“We know we had a mountain to climb with the form that Red Bull showed last year. “For anybody to overcome that gap would be a huge test, but definitely the car is feeling nice to drive. Ultimately, it’s down to lap times. We still haven’t seen truly yet where everybody is falling out but Red Bull seem to have done a really great job again, and they are no doubt the favourites… 100%.”
He added: “It’s as you’d expect from Red Bull, they’re in such a great momentum at the moment. They started these new regulations on the front foot and they came here and have been solid ever since. So they are, as I said, they’re definitely favourites.”
“Red Bull 100% favourites”;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...WPmzmYp0J.html
Red Bull “clearly out in the distance” – Hamilton
24th February 2024, 12:00
Keith Collantine
RaceFans.Net
Lewis Hamilton saw little chance Mercedes will catch Red Bull at the start of the upcoming season after his first test in the team’s new car. Hamilton covered 123 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday and said his new car was clearly an improvement over its unpredictable predecessor. “It was a good day,” he said. “It felt much more enjoyable to drive.”
But he doesn’t expect an immediate change in the team’s fortunes. “We still have time to find,” he said. “I think Red Bull clearly are out in the distance. But I think it’s a good platform to work from this year.”
“In the distance”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/24/...ance-hamilton/
Ferrari cast ‘another planet’ verdict as crucial weakness cured on eve of F1 2024
24 Feb 2024 8:30 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
If Ferrari are to threaten Red Bull over a race distance, then they must keep the Pirelli rubber happy and team boss Fred Vasseur has seen an out of this world improvement on that front with the SF-24. “I think the first good thing is that there are no surprises,” Leclerc told media including PlanetF1.com.
“Everything that we expected from this car, we got it on the real track, so that is a good thing because that helps us to develop the car on the simulator and everything seems to make sense. Then how competitive we are, it’s very difficult to understand. My personal feeling is that Red Bull is still quite a bit ahead, but we have a much stronger base compared to last year.”
“I remember last year, I finished the test and it was very difficult to understand in which direction we developed because the car was just so inconsistent, it was very difficult to understand what were the main weaknesses. This year, it’s a very different story.”
“Much stronger base”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...nagement-sf-24
Gary Anderson: Every F1 team's testing pace ranked
Feb 24, 2024
by Gary Anderson
The Race
It’s always difficult to know what Formula 1 teams are up to in testing as fuel loads, tyres, power modes, DRS use or even time of day and wind direction can have a major influence on the fastest laptimes. At the front I’m pretty sure we will see Red Bull followed closely by Ferrari, which will be joined occasionally by Mercedes and McLaren, with Aston Martin nipping at their heels, then a bit of a gap.
As for the others, under normal circumstances, it looks like it will be very tight. Alpine should be next but it needs to find out why the car looked so inconsistent and keep an eye on RB. Then Sauber, Williams and Haas should follow - but the back half will be nip-and-tuck and all down to who gets it right on the day.
Let’s see what next weekend brings. Qualifying will be the first time we know that the cars will be on a similar fuel load, new tyres, maximum power mode and the driver given the authority to wring its neck. One thing that’s for sure is that there will be someone on pole position and someone at the back and we really won’t know which is which until next Friday night. (Yes, you need to remember it’s a Saturday race, so everything starts on Thursday.)
‘Every F1 team's testing pace ranked’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...rain-analysis/
Verstappen drops the hammer: RB20 better than predecessor!
24/02/2024 at 16:08
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Max Verstappen sent shivers down the spines of his competitors with an ominous statement about Red Bull's newest weapon: the RB20. Following Red Bull and the Dutchman’s banner 2023 campaign, marked by the latter’s 19 wins and third world title, Verstappen is already the clear favorite for 2024.
Red Bull’s investigation of the zero-sidepod design approach unsuccessfully exploited by Mercedes has added a surprising twist to the RB20's concept. Verstappen is clearly unfazed by the comparison, emphasizing his faith in his team’s own vision of the bold sidepod conception.
“I fully trust what the people in our technical team are doing,” he said. “They are confident that this is better than everything else that they have tested in the wind tunnel over the winter. As long as it works, I don't even care what the car looks like.”
“Better than everything else that they have tested”;
https://f1i.com/news/500553-verstapp...edecessor.html
David Coulthard delivers verdict on Max Verstappen’s F1 future
David Coulthard gave his thoughts on how long Max Verstappen will race in Formula 1 for
February 24, 2024 - 16:20
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport
David Coulthard predicts Max Verstappen will not continue to race in Formula 1 until his late 30s, unlike Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Verstappen‘s 2023 season was statistically one of the most dominant in F1 history as he won 19 races, including a run of 10 consecutive wins on his way to his third world title.
“He arrived in a blaze of potential, won his first Grand Prix for Red Bull, had a few learnings along the way, which is inevitable irrespective whether you are a Senna, Schumacher, Verstappen or a Hamilton [but] he’s rounded off into the complete package,” Coulthard exclusively told Total-Motorsport.com. “So [at] 26 years old, arguably, he’s got at least another good five years in him, some people go off the boil a bit earlier.”
“Max, I think, will be a force in Formula 1 for as long as he wants to remain in Formula 1. Do I see him still being in Formula 1 at 39 or whatever age Lewis is now? Personally, I don’t. Then again, I’m not the fountain of all knowledge or the great predictor, but I think he’s just been so immersed in getting to Formula 1 and achieving in Formula 1 from such an early and intense phase of his life.”
‘Verdict on Max Verstappen’s F1 future’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/exc...pen-f1-future/
Verstappen warns new Red Bull has more to show
24 February 11:40AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen has revealed Red Bull believes there remains plenty of potential to find within the new RB20. Asked if there was more to come, Verstappen told media including RacingNews365: "Well, the team believes that with how the car is, there is more potential to find. So that is now up to us to unlock."
Wind sensitivity has been a topic of discussion with the latest generation of F1 cars, with Ferrari especially struggling with finding a balance in windy conditions last season. Red Bull is not immune to the problem and asked if there was a noticeable change in characteristics in windy conditions with the new machinery, Verstappen explained:
"I didn't feel a massive difference to last year but these cars are sensitive to wind, especially on a track like this where the wind can influence your balance quite a lot. Braking into one and out of one, that combination between two is always quite tricky. But it felt pretty similar to last year."
‘Plenty of potential to find within the new RB20’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...s-more-to-show
