2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Perez: ‘Fourth season with Red Bull will be my best.’
“Max is a driver that really takes the maximum out of you so it’s a great challenge and one I’m looking forward to massively. It’s my fourth season with the team and I’m sure it will be the best one.”
16/02/2024 at 09:34
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Sergio Perez believes his fourth F1 campaign with Red Bull will be his best as he aims to bounce back from his crushing defeat in 2023 at the hands of his dominant teammate Max Verstappen.

“Obviously, people are aware of the challenge that I’m facing and it is right. I think it’s a massive challenge,” he said, quoted by Reuters. “If we are performing well on track, there will be plenty of opportunities out there,” he said.

“So that’s my main target and my main motivation for this year to really perform well. I still think that I’m at my best, I still have a lot to give, being part of the Red Bull family for four years. It’s a massive bonus. It’s a great opportunity. I’m still young, and still motivated. So there’s still a long way ahead,” he concluded.

‘Fourth season with Red Bull will be my best’;

https://f1i.com/news/499627-perez-fo...e-my-best.html


Perez aiming to “maximise every opportunity” in crucial season
Formula 1
Posted on 16th February 2024, 17:23
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Speaking to media including RaceFans at the launch of the team’s new RB20 on Thursday, Perez said he will learn from what happened in 2023 and improve for this season. “I feel fully fresh,” he said. “Obviously, with the learnings of last year, it’s very important that we learn what went wrong, learn from our mistakes. I think we understood a lot of things. It’s my fourth year with Red Bull and I will expect to be at my best for this year.”

Perez has an important year ahead of him as his contract at Red Bull is up for renewal at the end of the year. Having shown an improvement in form over the final rounds of last season, Perez says his goal for 2024 is to “maximise every single opportunity” he has. “I want to get a really strong base early on and just be able to carry that through the whole season, to be able to develop through the season,” he said.

Perez said he made his late season breakthrough by “understanding the difficult races, why they were so difficult. The directions we were taking with the car, how we were overcompensating things and not necessarily making the car better. I think from all of that, we managed to learn a bit.”

“Maximise every opportunity”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/16/...rucial-season/


Sergio Perez makes Red Bull future wish ahead of make-or-break F1 2024 season
17 Feb 2024 7:45 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher at the launch of the new Red Bull RB20 car, Perez confirmed his intention is to secure a new multi-year deal with Red Bull. He said: “I think I’m in a great team, obviously. Being part of the Red Bull family has been amazing. We’ll see what the future holds.”

“For now, I’m fully focused on the start of the year and ideally [it] will be to carry on for more years in this team.” Asked directly by PlanetF1.com if he has put a timeline on a decision over his future, Perez replied: “No.”

“The start of the season is going to be really busy, so I’m just focusing on the first few races and that’s my main objective. I don’t think I’m setting skipping any time limits or anything like that. For now, I’m just focusing on the first five races to get the most out of it because it’s going to be taking a lot of energy out of me.

‘Intention is to secure a new multi-year deal with Red Bull’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...f1-2024-season


Perez 'not bothered' by early driver market activity
17 February 10:50AM
Author Nick Golding
Co-author Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Sergio Perez isn't becoming distracted by his current situation looking ahead to 2025, despite Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari having resulted in an early start to 'silly season'. With 13 drivers – including Perez – being without a contract for next year, seats are slowly starting to fill up. Ferrari now have no seats available until at least 2027, whilst Williams Team Principal James Vowles has revealed that Alex Albon is contracted until the end of 2025. Perez does have possible options in top teams if Red Bull opt against retaining him for next year, given that Mercedes and Aston Martin both currently have one seat available.

However, following Hamilton announcing his Ferrari switch for next year, it's expected that drivers will try to seal their seat on the 2025 grid earlier than usual. Typically, driver transfers aren't usually announced until the traditional summer break, although it's a rarity for 65% of the grid being in need of a new deal. The amount of drivers requiring a new contract could result in many pushing beyond their limits in the opening rounds, to convince either their current side or a different team to offer them a contract.

Entering the final year of a contract isn't an unfamiliar position for Perez, who is set to embark on his 14th season at the pinnacle of motorsport. His experience and knowledge could play a huge role in him securing a spot on the 2025 grid, although he's not thinking about it too much. Perez is distancing himself from the driver market activity as he believes he should be focusing on his performances rather than his contract, with the Mexican knowing that things will fall into place naturally if he delivers for Red Bull in 2024.

‘Sergio Perez isn't becoming distracted’;

https://racingnews365.com/perez-not-...arket-activity


Perez better equipped to adapt to Red Bull’s RB20
The Mexican driver is under a lot of pressure this season after struggling last year compared to teamate Max Verstappen
February 18, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Sergio Perez believes he and Red Bull have discovered new understandings of the car, making the Mexican more confident to adapt to the team’s RB20 after a disappointing season last year. The upgrades made the mexican feel less comfortable with the RB19, being way off the pace. Since Barcelona, Perez continued the trend and struggled for the rest of the season.

“We had some issues as the car was developing,” the Mexican explained. “And the way we were trying to improve those issues meant that we were just taking performance out of the car, and not necessarily going faster. Making it more comfortable is not necessarily faster.” Perez took to the simulator before the United States Grand Pri last year, helping him discover new findings of the car. The Mexican believes that it wil help him better cope with this year’s RB20:

“With the learning of last year, it’s very important that we learn what went wrong, learn from our mistakes. I think we understood a lot of things. It’s my fourth year with Red Bull, and I do expect to be at my best for this year. [We worked] on understanding the difficult races, why they were so difficult, the directions we were taking with the car, how we were overcompensating things and not necessarily making the car better. I think all of that we managed to learn.”

‘Better equipped to adapt to Red Bull’s RB20’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/pe...ed-bulls-rb20/


Sergio Perez stresses importance of ‘sticking together’ with Christian Horner under investigation
18 Feb 2024 6:45 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Perez used to be the number one talking point at any given Red Bull press conference but he took a background role during the team’s car launch last week with everyone’s mind on the investigation. With Red Bull refusing to elaborate on what is going on behind closed doors, Perez has encouraged the team to “stick together” ahead of the start of the F1 2024 season.

“I think we just want to go racing,” he told media including PlanetF1.com. “We are a race team and we want the whole team to stick together because we’ve been successful. It will be ideal just to keep the whole team together and just focus on racing.”

“Obviously, there are some things out there but the most important is that we will stick together as a team, we will work well and the main goal is remembering that we are here for racing. We are racing and we all love it and we just want to go racing together. We know that Christian is a key player in our organisation.”

‘Sticking together’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...-investigation


Sergio Perez makes feelings clear on Christian Horner probe as Red Bull boss 'faces sack'
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is set to find out next week if he's being sacked with the team looking to conclude their investigation
08:10, Sun, Feb 18, 2024
By Jordan Seward
Daily and Sunday Express

Red Bull star Sergio Perez has urged everyone at the outfit to 'stick together' and underlined Christian Horner's importance to the organisation amid the ongoing investigation into allegations against the team boss.

‘Sergio Perez makes feelings clear’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...on-Red-Bull-F1

[Fortitude]

F1 is back! Five big things to look out for in F1 2024 pre-season testing.
Pre-season testing takes place for three full days in Sakhir from Wednesday until Friday (21-23 February).
19 Feb 2024 6:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

That off-season flew, didn’t it? And it’s not like we’re short of things to talk about as the first proper F1 2024 track running takes place in Bahrain this week. on PlanetF1.com, we thought we’d look at the main things to look out for in pre-season testing – for anyone new to watching it or otherwise.
Every single pair of eyes will be looking at the Red Bull RB20: Every team will have their eyes on their own data as well as what they can gather from Red Bull to see how they’re getting on.

Get set for plenty of barriers around F1 team garages: A lot of eager photographers will look to take as many pictures as they can of the new cars on track, but once they are back in the garages, every possible secret will be kept by the teams.
The return of the word ‘sandbagging’: Essentially, sandbagging is the act of teams either deliberately running their cars in less powerful engine modes or drivers not pushing over the course of a full lap, to hide their true potential in pre-season testing.

Lap count, lap count, lap count: Absolutely critical for the teams this week will be how much they can run their cars around Bahrain. Don’t expect the drivers to give the game away… too much: Despite there not being too much to be able to take in terms of outright lap time from pre-season testing, more often than not we can find out who has hit the ground running and who is struggling heading into the new season.

‘Five big things to look out’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/f1...talking-points


Charles Leclerc won’t rush to judgement after last year’s Bahrain pace dissipated
18 Feb 2024 2:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Fighting for the podium in Bahrain last season before his DNF, Charles Leclerc says this year he’s going to wait a few races before drawing any conclusions about Ferrari’s chances. After all, after Bahrain last year he had to wait until round four to secure his first of only six top-three results

“Looking back at the previous years, you always need to wait two or three races to feel how strong of a package you have on different tracks,” said the five-time Grand Prix winner. Sometimes you can have a very strong package on one track and you get to another track and you are struggling much more.”

“We will always have to wait two or three races to see our car in different conditions, different wind, different temperature, different track layout, before actually drawing conclusions of what can be achieved that season. But of course we will have a good picture of where we are at after the first race.”

‘Won’t rush to judgement’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...ace-dissipated


Alonso takes aim at ‘unfair’ F1 pre-season testing format
18/02/2024 at 14:06
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

F1 veteran Fernando Alonso has criticized Formula 1’s pre-season testing, calling the odd three-day format “unfair” for drivers and highlighting what he perceives as a fundamental inconsistency with the sport's aspirations.

Alonso is on the eve of his 20th season in Formula 1, meaning the Aston Martin charger experienced the sport’s bygone era of extensive testing when teams could spend weeks fine-tuning their machines, without any restrictions on mileage. The period was a stark contrast to the current three-day window enjoyed by competitors before the season kicks off and imposed on teams for cost-cutting reasons.

Alonso argues that this limited timeframe simply isn't enough for drivers to properly prepare for the intense competition of a world championship. “I've been thinking all winter about this, how unfair is [it] that we have one day and a half to prepare a world championship,” commented the Spaniard. “There's no other sport in the world…”

‘Odd three-day format “unfair” for drivers’;

https://f1i.com/news/499724-alonso-t...ng-format.html


Why Williams will be ‘late’ to the 2024 F1 pre-season action
18 Feb 2024 8:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

The only team yet to do an on-track run in their 2024 F1 car, James Vowles says Williams may be “late” but that’s because they’re pushing the “limits” with the FW46. “What we were doing with this car is pushing everything to the limits,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“And to give you ideas about that, the chassis technology is different, some of the other technologies are quite different to what we’ve done before. Those changes are enormous for an organisation, absolutely enormous. Some of those have challenged us to push ourselves beyond where we wanted to be. But in the case of what’s happened overall, I’m very, very happy.”

“You simply can’t do everything at the same time, you can’t change what you’re doing and break technology cycles, and put yourself in a much better performance situation, without taking an enormous amount of risk. And we have, but there’s no doubt about it having the car where we have it now, and you’ll see it in Bahrain, is late.”

‘Pushing everything to the limits’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/why-wi...-season-action


Haas expect to be slowest team on the grid at season opener
Driver Kevin Magnussen has laid out his expectations for the year under new boss Ayao Komatsu
February 17, 2024
James Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

Magnussen’s 2024 predictions: As reported by motorsport.com, Magnussen is not surmising a sudden jump up in relative performance, and credits Komatsu with setting realistic goals for Haas as a whole. He said: “Expectations are being managed quite well this year. I think some years there has been some unrealistic optimism going into seasons, and I’ve been affected by it as well.”

While he supposes the start of the 2024 World Championship will be tough, the pace of the VF-24 will likely improve as the season progresses. He continued: “Expectations are low to begin with, but high for the season as a whole. Certainly, Ayao is very clear that he doesn’t think we’ve moved out of last year’s position yet, but he’s clear in that he sees the development trajectory looking a lot stronger, so he’s actually optimistic that we can move forward through this year.”

“Expectations are being managed quite well this year”;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ha...season-opener/

[Fortitude]

Podcast: How to decipher F1 testing.
We discuss how the combination of lap time analysis, trackside observations, paddock chatter and more can be used to get an idea of the pecking order heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Feb 19, 2024
RacingNews365

We look ahead to the pre-season Formula 1 testing in the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast.

There’s also a discussion of which cars we are most looking forward to seeing in action and what the big off-track stories are set to be.

‘How to decipher F1 testing’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...-podcast-2024/


Who had a good winter? Will we have a title fight? 10 crucial F1 testing topics
19th February 2024, 13:34
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Is Red Bull’s eye-catching RB20 another leap forward? The world champions have shown they are not afraid to revise the design which brought them so much success last year.
Will we see a surprise change in the pecking order? Pre-season testing often gives us the first exciting glimpse of a change in the pecking order.
No season-starting setback at McLaren? McLaren admitted at their launch last year they faced a compromised start to the season having hit a snag in the development of their latest car. Surely McLaren can avoid a poor start for a third season in a row…

Third time lucky for Mercedes? Under reinstated technical director James Allison the new car is a dramatic departure from its predecessor. But is it enough to stop the rot?
Are Ferrari still leading the charge? The only team besides Red Bull to win a race last year should expect to start the new season as their closest competition.
Does F1 now have four Red Bulls? Many are already expecting RB to make significant progress this year.

Is the midfield going to get even closer? Throughout launch season, many drivers commented on how close they expect the season to be, and testing will give us the first indication of whether they’re right.
Just how far off are Haas? New Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu made it clear when their VF-24 debuted that they do not expect to be competitive in the opening races of 2024 at least.
Can anyone run a stint like Red Bull? The key to Red Bull’s competitiveness last year wasn’t simply speed but their ability to eke out a set of tyres over a race stint. This is the area where their rivals most need to make gains.

‘10 crucial F1 testing topics’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/19/...esting-topics/


Verstappen not rushing into judgement on RB20
19 February 10:25AM
Author Nick Golding
Co-author Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen isn't getting ahead of himself prior to the start of the 2024 F1 season, with him still having more simulator work to do before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Dutchman heads into the new campaign having demolished the field in 2023 on his way to a third consecutive Drivers' Championship.

He won the title with ease and shattered countless records along the way, including the records for the most wins in a season, most points scored and most consecutive victories. For someone to take the fight to the 26-year-old and Red Bull, they have a mountain to climb, a challenge which could further increase depending on the strength of the side's 2024 car. Red Bull were the final team to launch their new car – the RB20 – before conducting a shakedown test at Silverstone.

Whilst this did offer Verstappen a chance to drive the car, his first opportunity to push it to its limit will come this week during pre-season testing. It's widely expected that Red Bull and Verstappen will be unstoppable once again given how untouchable the partnership was last year, although the Dutch driver admits topping his 2023 achievements might not be possible.

‘More simulator work to do before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...gement-on-rb20


F1 bahrain pre season testing schedule and times
19 February 3:30PM
Author Allard Gooshouwer
RacingNews365

This week, from February 21st to 23rd, the 2024 Formula 1 pre-season test is being held in Bahrain. Curious about the times when the teams will be in action? You can find that in the overview below.

F1 pre season testing schedule
Session Date Time (GMT)
Day 1 February 21st 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Day 2 February 22st 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Day 3 February 23st 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

‘Pre season testing schedule’;

https://racingnews365.com/f1-bahrain...dule-and-times


F1 Live: 2024 Bahrain Testing Day 1 Watchalong | Live Timings + Commentary
Scheduled for Feb 21, 2024 #f1testing #F12024 #F1
Racing Statistics

F1 Live 2024 Pre Season Testing at Sakhir, Bahrain | Day 1 - Morning Session F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the pre-season testing with Racing Statistics. Lets Watchalong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8x07Bkic2M

[Fortitude]

How important is F1 2024 Testing in Bahrain?
The roar of engines and the smell of burning rubber are just around the corner as 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain kicks off on February 21.
February 19, 2024
By John Smith
Total Motorsport

Testing provides several invaluable benefits.
1. Unveiling Car Potential: Testing allows teams to evaluate the overall performance and potential of their new cars. This includes assessing areas like:
• Aerodynamics: Testing helps teams validate their wind tunnel and CFD data by comparing it to real-world track performance.
• Reliability: Teams can identify and address potential reliability issues before the season begins,
• Driver Feedback: Drivers provide valuable insights on car handling, balance, and tire management

2. Fostering Team Coordination: Testing serves as a crucial platform for teams to refine their pit stop procedures, communication protocols, and operational efficiency. This ensures a smooth and coordinated effort during the actual race weekends.
3. Driver Acclimatization: For both experienced and rookie drivers, testing provides an opportunity to get accustomed to the new car and track conditions. This allows them to build confidence, refine their driving techniques, and prepare mentally for the intense competition ahead.

4. Generating Fan Excitement: Testing creates a buzz and anticipation among fans, offering a taste of what to expect from the upcoming season. Fans can observe the new car designs, witness driver dynamics, and start forming their predictions and allegiances.
Testing: A Stepping Stone, Not a Destination: It’s important to remember that testing is just a starting point.

‘Roar of engines and the smell of burning rubber’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/how...sting-bahrain/


Why 2024 is not the year to mess your car design up
19 Feb 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

There’s never a good time to get your car design wrong in F1, but this year it could be even more costly than usual. Here’s why…

‘Not the year to mess your car design up’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...220777140.html


Everything You Need to Know About F1 Ahead of the 2024 Season
The 2024 Formula 1 racing season is right around the corner. Here's what you need to know about the international motorsport.
Feb. 19, 2024 9:00 a.m. PT
Mary-Elisabeth Combs
CNET

One thing I noticed when I started watching F1 was that commentators would throw out all sorts of terms that I was unfamiliar with. To help build up your F1 vocabulary, I've rounded up some of the most common terms you'll hear during a race weekend and defined them:
• DRS: The drag reduction system is a mechanism on Formula 1 cars that reduces drag by opening a flap on the back wing of the car. DRS can only be applied at certain points of the race, called DRS zones, and when two cars are within a certain time distance (1 second).

• Understeer: This happens when the front of the car is harder to turn than expected, so the car will not turn into a corner as sharply as the driver intends to turn, for example.
• Oversteer: This happens when the back of the car turns too much and slips a bit when a car is turning. This means that the front of the car will turn too sharply into a corner.
• Undercut: An undercut occurs when a driver makes a pit stop -- or "pits" -- to put on brand new tires before an opponent does. If done correctly, these fresher tires will allow the driver who pitted to gain a little bit of time over a driver who did not pit and is running on older tires.

• Overcut: An overcut is the direct opposite of an undercut. A driver chooses to remain on the track on older tires while other drivers pit. If executed properly, a driver can get a few more laps out of their tires and pick up a few seconds on opponents on a less congested track.
• Degradation: Formula 1 tires are usually smooth (the ones used in wet conditions have a bit of tread for improved grip), and are under a great deal of strain during races. As a result of temperature and wear, the tires can degrade, and after a certain point actually make the cars slower and harder to control. Many drivers will complain about this (perhaps a bit unnecessarily). F1 tires are designed to wear and degrade, making tire management a critical piece of race strategy. Tire-makers are constantly evaluating and tweaking tire structures and compounds for optimal racing under different conditions.

‘What you need to know’;

https://www.cnet.com/culture/sports/...e-2024-season/


F1 2024 spotters guide
This is your guide to the forthcoming F1 season with all the key details of every car on the grid.
20 February 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

While nothing has changed since the end of 2023 on the driver front, plenty's been going on behind the scenes. Since Abu Dhabi, the AlphaTauri name has disappeared from the grid and has been replaced by RB.

Alfa Romeo has also disappeared, with the Swiss operation reverting to its underlying Sauber brand and the controversial addition of its title sponsors to make for a mouthful for commentators. In terms of personnel, there have been some big changes too.

‘Plenty's been going on behind the scenes’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-2024-spotters-guide/


Will the 2025 F1 driver silly season see “chaos”?
Will the Formula 1 driver market see silly season “chaos” in the coming weeks, as teams battle with each other to secure the optimum line-up for 2025 and beyond?
Feb 19, 2024, 3:13 PM
Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com

The question now is how soon things will start to move at other teams, and how quickly the remaining pieces fall into place thereafter. Thus far, only seven of the 20 seats are filled beyond this season, with McLaren and Ferrari having secured two drivers not just for 2025 but also into the era of the new regulations that begins the following year.

The only other drivers officially signed up are Max Verstappen at Red Bull until 2028 and George Russell at Mercedes until 2025. However, for obvious reasons, Lance Stroll is set to stay with Aston Martin for the foreseeable future, even if his status has not been made public.

That still leaves 13 vacancies for 2025, and the potential for much to happen. But when will the merry-go-round spring into action?

‘Will the 2025 F1 driver silly season see chaos’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/2...haos/10577451/


McLaren sees development slowdown in third year of F1 rules
19/02/2024 at 15:05
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

McLaren technical director Andrea Stella believes F1 teams will be facing diminishing returns on their development this season as the field tightens in the third year of the sport’s ground effect regulations. "I think this year, we will see that adding lap time will start to have some diminishing return, I would say, for the first time with these new regulations," Stella said, quoted by Motorsport.com.

"For two years we have seen progress, especially aerodynamic development, being quite steep. But now, I would anticipate that towards the end of the season, it will become harder for designers to be able to keep a very steep development rate. This is why as I said before, we can be competitive if we are able to keep the development rate that we have experienced over the last 12 months."

‘Development slowdown’;

https://f1i.com/news/499787-mclaren-...-f1-rules.html

[Fortitude]

How can you tell who's really quickest in F1 testing?
The timesheets at the end of the day tell one story... but it's unlikely to be the full truth of F1 testing in Bahrain.
February 20th 2024
Author: Chris Medland
Motor Sport Magazine

Rumour rules at testing: Paddock gossip is one of the main ways journalists get a feel for the competitive picture, because individual teams might give away a little bit about how they are getting on, or drivers have feedback about other cars they have seen on track, and then it can be carefully pieced together. But even so, that’s far from a perfect science.

Tell-tale signs: That said, there are signs that can let you know if your team is in particularly good or bad shape. Mileage is often more telling than lap time, because cars that are running consistently and regularly are a sign of a team that is well-placed with a reliable car that is easy to set up. Those doing lots of shorter runs and making regular changes suggest it is hard to find the sweet spot of a car, or there are reliability concerns.

Then there are the tyres being used. Using Bahrain as an example, the C1, C2 and C3 tyre will be supplied to the teams for the race weekend, so comparing long runs on the same C1 or C2 provides some reflection of where teams stand in terms of race pace. And those racking up the laps on those tyres tend to be the more confident outfits when it comes to their machinery. And the final hints don’t come from the cars at all, but the drivers after they climb out of them. Their body language, the comments they make about how the test is going, and information provided by the teams in their press releases can all be telling.

‘Far from a perfect science’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Three key storylines to keep an eye on in 2024 F1 pre-season testing
20 February 12:05PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews

Are Red Bull still as far ahead? With the laws of diminishing returns striking for Red Bull with its previous concept, it has gone radical with the RB20 - will this prove to be another Adrian Newey masterstroke or a disaster that will level the playing field and allow Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren or Aston Martin a sniff? Sergio Perez has also spoken during the launch season that the car feels improved in slow-speed corners on the simulator compared to 2023 - that is a good thing for the Mexican and should help him to be closer to Verstappen.

Have Mercedes and Ferrari finally got it right? As far as Red Bull is concerned, it has already aced one ground effects concept and is onto its second whilst Mercedes and Ferrari are still trying to figure out their first. All teams on the grid have moved towards the former Red Bull style of downwash sidepods, but one upside for Mercedes and Ferrari is that they still have giant gains to make in their performance - ones that Red Bull has already found.

Just how fast is the RB? Both McLaren and Aston Martin are hoping that they will be able to keep looking upwards and continue their form of 2023 of mingling with the so-called big three teams and establish themselves there. The one thing both do not want to do is be looking over their shoulders at an RB team which has undergone drastic change since last term.

‘Three key storylines’;

https://racingnews365.com/three-key-...season-testing


F1 teams choose peculiar tyre allocations for F1 pre-season testing
Five types of tyres will be used this year, from C1 (the hardest) to C5 (the softest). For pre-season testing, teams were asked to choose their selections for the first on-track sessions of the year.
20 February 2:30PM
Author Jesse Janse
RacingNews365

What stands out? There are a few things that stand out from the selection made by the teams. The C5 is vastly unpopular, with a majority of teams opting to arrive in Bahrain with no plan to run the softest compound. The C4 is not very popular for the same reason. Two teams, McLaren and Alpine, will not be seen at all with a red-walled tyre at the test, with Alpine arriving with a striking number of C1 tyres.
The most popular tyre is clearly the C3, the middle compound in Pirelli's range. During the first Grand Prix weekend, that will be the softest tyre available and will be used prominently during qualifying. By choosing so many of the C3 tyres, the teams can also look at the first race weekend with more confidence. Mercedes has by far the most medium tyres with 25 of the 35 sets in its arsenal being the yellow-walled compound.

Ferrari will take the most 'soft' tyres with six sets of C4s and two sets of C5s. Red Bull has opted for a balanced distribution, with the C3 tyres as the clear outlier. However, we will not see the softest C5 tyre attached to the RB20 of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez in the coming days, which may mask its pace ahead of the first round of the year.

‘Peculiar tyre allocations: What stands out? ’;

https://racingnews365.com/f1-teams-c...season-testing


F1’s ‘late’ team hits track in Bahrain for last pre-testing shakedown
20 Feb 2024 9:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Late to the track having opted for additional virtual tests back at the factory, Williams’ FW46 completed its first laps in Bahrain on Tuesday with Logan Sargeant behind the wheel. James Vowles was quick to point out that wasn’t because something had gone wrong in their preparations, rather it was a conscious decision.

“A bit of it is,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com, “we’ve pushed ourselves to the absolute limits, a bit of it is actually I believe far more in doing other testing, if you’d like to call it that, and then use Bahrain as the opportunity to get started. We could easily have run down there, but there was a balance between doing the virtual track test and Silverstone.”

“I much rather wanted to spend the time dedicated to the virtual track test and we’ll shake it down in Bahrain.” And shake it down is what the team did on Tuesday morning with Williams posting a video on X of Sargeant driving out of the car in the FW46.

‘F1’s ‘late’ team hits track’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-lat...rain-shakedown


Red Bull’s bold design and secret ‘sandbagging’: what can we expect from F1 testing?
The 2024 Formula 1 season gets underway on Wednesday with 24 hours of running over three days in Bahrain
20th February 2024, 12:09
Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
The Independent

Pre-season testing is often peculiar: plenty of flow-vis paint and aero-rakes appear on cars to measure initial performance. Varied lap times, fuel load and set-ups mean the leaderboard at the end of each day should be taken with a pinch of salt.

But for the drivers and teams, it’s invaluable. With 24 hours of running over three days, each driver should receive 12 hours of time in the car or on the pit wall, with the focus fully on the performance and reliability of their 2024 challenger.

Red Bull’s design boldness
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton: the last dance
McLaren change tack with low-key launch
Amid the chasing pack, will we get an Aston Martin surprise?
Not all will be as it seems

‘Secret sandbagging’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2499110.html

[Fortitude]

F1 2024 testing: What is each team’s testing driver line-up in Bahrain?
F1 2024 testing is upon us in Bahrain and each team is splitting its driving duties between their drivers, with each driver given a day and a half each to get used to their new machinery ahead of the new season.
21 Feb 2024 7:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

With teams only allowed to run one car during the three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, each driver will have to share their cockpit as they look to clock as many laps as possible before the new campaign gets underway.

‘Here is a look at who will be on track and when during F1 2024 testing’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...driver-line-up


F1 Live: 2024 Bahrain Testing Day 1 Watchalong | Live Timings + Commentary
21st February 2024.
Racing Statistics

F1 Live 2024 Pre Season Testing at Sakhir, Bahrain | Day 1 - Morning Session F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the pre-season testing with Racing Statistics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8x07Bkic2M


[LIVE] FORMULA 1 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing 2024 - DAY 1 Watchalong | Live Timing
21st 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=LQPpjmANkAo


F1 DIRECTO | TEST PRETEMPORADA BAHREIN 2024 - DÍA 1 - Live Timing
21st February 2024.
ORTUÑO TV

➡ Síguenos en nuestras redes sociales ✅

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWK1lvNJbNY


2024 F1 Bahrain Testing (Day 1) - Commentary + Data
21st February 2024.
F1 Gamer

This live stream has full live commentary and live timing data alongside a track map it is about F1 (Formula 1) Pre-Season Testing in Bahrain, held at the Bahrain International Circuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C739VDLkHqQ

[Fortitude]

IN PHOTOS: Every 2024 F1 car on track during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Formula 1 returned to action at the Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday as all 10 teams' cars hit the track for the start of 2024 pre-season testing.
21 February 2024
Formula One - Official Site

At 1000 local time, George Russell and Mercedes completed the first official lap of the year as drivers and teams headed out to gather valuable mileage ahead of next week’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

From the classic red of Ferrari to the striking green-and-black of Kick Sauber, there were a range of designs on display, along with plenty of testing aids such as flow-vis paint and aero rakes.

‘Every 2024 F1 car on track’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...86MHHRsrg.html


Ted Kravitz hails the ‘bit of magic’ that one Formula 1 team have come up with this season
Wed 21 February 2024 08:00
Ben Evans
Oversteer

Sky Sports F1 technical expert Ted Kravitz has admitted that he’s been seriously impressed with the work Mercedes have done on their front wing over the winter break. Speaking about the front wing, Kravitz said: “It is a genius move, so credit to John Owen the designer here who has come up with that bit of magic on the front wing.

“Hats off to their aero team. It’s such a lovely idea. Mercedes had they just stood still and developed what was an OK car, they got to the point where they could do some bits with it at the end of the year, then that would have been all right. But they had to find a second per lap, now that’s the big question for me, is this Mercedes a second per lap quicker than last year’s Mercedes?”

“Well John Owen the designer will certainly hope so, the ideas with this front wing and trying to recreate the Y250 vortex, that’s the middle section, to try and get the air inside, through those front wheels. It’s a nice idea, is it going to work, are the rest of the things going to work as well? We will find out.”

‘Bit of magic’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/teams/te...h-this-season/


Adrian Newey spots an ‘interesting’ innovation on Mercedes W15
21 Feb 2024 7:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Adrian Newey has reportedly stated there’s one innovation on the new-look Mercedes W15 that he finds “interesting”, but what exactly that is he didn’t say. According to the BBC’s Andrew Benson, “Newey said at his car’s launch that there was an innovation on the Mercedes that he found “interesting” although he would not reveal what it was. The suspicion is that he was referring to the front wing design.”

‘Adrian Newey will be taking a closer look at the W15’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/adrian...n-mercedes-w15


Red Bull unsure they can make Mercedes-style sidepods work
21/02/2024 at 08:12
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Helmut Marko has revealed that Red Bull is committed to reducing the sidepod real estate on its new RB20, following a design previously exploited by Mercedes, but doubts linger about whether the concept can be successful.

Mercedes eventually abandoned it ‘zero sidepod’ concept after five races last season, but Red Bull is willing to give the approach – or something similar – another shot. “They [Mercedes] were also convinced by the data of their sidepod-less concept, but in practice, it didn't work at all,” Marko said, speaking to Servus TV earlier this week.

“We will now see in the tests whether we can successfully implement this solution, or let's say a similar solution. Adrian Newey always favoured cars without radiators. But of course, the engine people can't do that. That is logical.” Marko suggested that Red Bull’s take on the creative sidepod solution won’t be as extreme as Mercedes’ concept.

‘Reducing the sidepod real estate’;

https://f1i.com/news/499892-red-bull...pods-work.html


Ted Kravitz raises yet more questions about Red Bull’s RB20 innovative solutions
21 Feb 2024 8:00 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Ted Kravitz says never mind the bodywork of the RB20, it’s the nose and front wing that he’d be surprised to see on the car come the race in Bahrain next week. It had Sky Sports analyst Bernie Collins wondering if that would be the car that took to the track in Bahrain on Wednesday morning.

“I think maybe years in F1 have made me suspicious,” she said in the latest Sky F1 podcast, “so let’s see the car that rolls out on Day One in Bahrain because I’m not sure it’s going to be that car. This could just be a little joke.”

‘Yet more questions’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ted-kr...tive-solutions


Red Bull F1’s Adrian Newey is world car person of the year
Newey is the designer behind the RB19, the most dominant race car in the history of Formula One, winning 21 of 22 races in 2023
21 FEBRUARY 2024 - 09:33
by MOTOR NEWS REOPRTER
BusinesLive

Red Bull F1 designer Adrian Newey has been voted the 2024 World Car Person of the Year by a jury of more than 100 journalists from 29 countries.

As chief technical officer of Red Bull Racing, the aerodynamicist is the designer and driving force behind the RB19, the most dominant race car in the history of Formula One...

‘Red Bull F1’s Adrian Newey’;

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/li...n-of-the-year/


New cars analysed as F1 preseason testing begins in Bahrain
Feb 21, 2024, 02:58 AM ET
Nate Saunders, General Editor
ESPN.com

Formula One's preseason testing for the 2024 season has started at Bahrain's Sakhir International Circuit. The three-day test -- the only opportunity for teams to gather on-track data about their cars before the opening race at the same venue on March 2 -- allows teams unlimited running during a certain time window.

Red Bull's radical new car design will be a talking point, especially after it won 21 of the 22 races last year. The likes of McLaren, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari are all looking to cut the gap to the world champions this year.

‘New cars analysed’;

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...begins-bahrain


Verstappen fastest at two-hour mark of F1 pre-season testing
21 February 10:06AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen sits atop the timing sheets two hours into the first session of 2024 Formula 1 pre-season testing.

Alonso posted 32 laps as the AMR24 looked a compliant machine for the two-time World Champion, whilst Bottas raised the Stake to P1 early on and settled into fourth at the half-way mark of the four-hour morning session.

Yuki Tsunoda was the equal busiest driver with 37 laps on the board with Verstappen for the new RB machine, as Oscar Piastri only completed 17 laps in a quiet start to testing for McLaren.

‘Verstappen fastest at two-hour mark’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...season-testing

[Fortitude]

Verstappen dominates proceedings on first morning of testing.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen ended the first morning of the three-day Bahrain test on top of the timesheets with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing the first official running in second spot seven tenths of a second behind his Dutch rival.
21 Feb 2024, 14:07
By Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

The early hours went on without any major trouble for anyone. Fernando Alonso soon emerged at the top of the timing sheet and looked quite comfortable with the behaviour of the new Aston Martin.

Max Vertappen seemed in even better shape and somewhat effortlessly brought it down to 1:32.548s even despite some non-ideal moments in Turn 5 and Turn 8. Charles Leclerc later also improved on Alonso's time to make for a solid second place on the morning's timesheet.

Oscar Piastri made it a solid fourth for McLaren followed by RB's Yuki Tsunoda. For Mercedes it wasn't the perfect session however. Although there we no reliability issues, Russell was seen bumping had on the bump at the end of the main straight. The team therefore decided to make car changes that held them in the pitlane for quite a while.

‘Verstappen dominates proceedings’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/24404


Everything that happened on first morning of 2024 F1 testing
Feb 21, 2024
by Jack Cozens
The Race

KEY MOMENTS
• Verstappen seven tenths clear on first morning
• Albon brings Williams to a halt late on
• First chance to see 2024 tech in more detail

WEDNESDAY AM TIMES
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m32.548s, C3 tyre, 66 laps
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.699s, C3, 64 laps
3 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.837s, C3, 77 laps
4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.110s, C3, 57 laps
5 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +1.588s, C3, 64 laps
6 George Russell (Mercedes) +1.682ss, C3, 48 laps
7 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) +1.883s, C3, 68 laps
8 Alex Albon (Williams) +2.039s, C4, 40 laps
9 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +2.129s, C1, 60 laps
10 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +3.144s, C3, 66 laps

‘First morning of 2024 F1 testing’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/e...24-f1-testing/


Max Verstappen heads Charles Leclerc on first morning of 2024 F1 testing in Bahrain
Here's what happened on the first morning of F1 testing in Bahrain.
21 Feb 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen set the pace in the first four hours of running in 2024 F1 pre-season testing. After two hours of running, Verstappen rose to the top of the timesheets with a 1m33.065, 0.3s ahead of Fernando Alonso’s previous benchmark.

Soon after, Verstappen found a 0.5s improvement to set an overall best time of 1m32.548s. Of course, it’s still early days with Verstappen’s top time well over two seconds slower than his own pole time from 2023.

The Dutchman completed 66 laps in the all-new RB20 in a smooth first session for the team. Leclerc was just under 0.7s shy of Verstappen’s benchmark in the SF-24.

‘Here's what happened’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104440...esting-bahrain


Red Bull's sidepod intricacies begin to emerge in Bahrain F1 test
RED BULL HAS FINALLY BEGUN TO REVEAL SOME OF THE SECRETS OF THE AGGRESSIVE NEW SIDEPODS ON ITS RB20 FORMULA 1 CAR, AS TESTING BEGINS IN BAHRAIN.
Upd: Feb 21, 2024, 1:43 PM
Matt SomerfieldFeb 21, 2024, 9:55 AM
Motorsport.com

One of the big talking points of launch season was Red Bull's conceptual shift in sidepod design, with a lot of intrigue surrounding the minimalist inlets. And as the car appeared in public for the first time on the opening day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Wednesday, greater clarity was offered as to exactly what Red Bull had done, with its launch-spec car clearly not the finished product.

Meanwhile, Red Bull is also taking advantage of the change in regulations for 2024 that allow for additional driver cooling apertures on the chassis, with two small snorkels seen pressed into the chassis' upper panel.

Beyond the focus on the sidepods, there’s another interesting set of inlets on the RB20 that also deserves our attention, this time housed around the halo and engine cover.

‘Red Bull's sidepod intricacies’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...test/10578143/


Christian Horner sets out Red Bull 2024 targets after arriving for Bahrain F1 testingThe 2024 Formula 1 season is just a matter of days away, with Christian Horner's Red Bull making their preparations as they look to defend the drivers' and constructors' titles
• 11:31, 21 Feb 2024
By Tom Victor Sport Trends Writer
The Mirror

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has spoken about the 'special moment' of seeing the team's car in action ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Horner and members of the Red Bull team and staff have arrived in Bahrain, after last week's filming day at Silverstone. Speaking at the event at the home of the British Grand Prix, Horner was focused on his team's plans for the season ahead having insisted it was "business as usual" as far as he was concerned.

“It was great to be back on track at Silverstone, seeing the RB20 come to life is incredible, it is always a special moment seeing a car drive down the pitlane for the first time," Horner said. “Our goal and aim for 2024 has to be to defend both Championships.”

‘Red Bull 2024 targets’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...t-red-32175360


Formula One 2024: All the biggest storylines, changes and dramas
21 Feb 2024, 15:50
Sports JOE

Can anyone knock Max Verstappen and Red Bull off their perch? The 2024 Formula 1 season roars into life at the Bahrain international Circuit, next week, with the first race taking place on March 2.

Ahead of the 2024 season, with Netflix helping to tee up the drama with the new Drive to Survive [clip below], Fiona Shields gives us a run-down on the F1 runners and riders.

‘2024 Formula 1 season roars into life’;

https://www.sportsjoe.ie/motorsports...ew-2024-298179


F1 Testing results 2024 – Day 1 (Bahrain International Circuit)
21 Feb 2024 9:47 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

For the afternoon, there were plenty of driver changes with eight of the 10 teams swapping over to their other drivers – the only names left to take in their first laps of pre-season are Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton.

With just under 90 minutes to go on day one, Verstappen smashed the best time of the day as he logged a 1:31.662 to go eight-tenths clear of Norris.

1. 1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing 1:31.662 109 Laps
2. 2 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.822 32
3. 3 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.922
4. 4 Daniel RICCIARDO RB +1.284 26
5. 5 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +1.412 18
6. 6 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +1.585 64
7. 7 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +1.723 77
8. 8 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +1.996 57
9. 9. Guanyu ZHOU Stake +2.209 28
10. 10 Logan SARGEANT Williams +2.220 21
11. 11 George RUSSELL Mercedes +2.447 84
12. 12 Yuki TSUNODA RB +2.474 64
13. 13 Valtteri BOTTAS Kick Sauber +2.769 68
14. 14 Alexander ALBON Williams +2.925 40
15. 15 Esteban OCON Alpine +3.015 60
16. 16 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +4.030 66
17. 17 Nico Hulkenberg Haas +4.244 46
18. 18. Pierre Gasly ALPINE +4.753 31

‘Afternoon, plenty of driver changes’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-tes...-day-1-bahrain

[Fortitude]

2024 Bahrain F1 test: Verstappen heads first day by 1.1s from Norris.
Verstappen used the much-improved conditions during the final half hour to knock another three tenths off and seal the top spot with a 1m31.344s lap, a second and a half faster than he was during the same session last winter.
Feb 21, 2024, 4:05 PM
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com

The three-time world champion set the pace in the morning session and stayed on board for the remainder of the day, reclaiming the lead from McLaren's Lando Norris around the halfway mark with a lap of 1m31.662s on Pirelli's yellow-marked C3 tyres.

Norris stayed second after a much-improved opening session of the new season compared to McLaren's backfoot start last year. After taking over from team-mate Oscar Piastri, the Briton clocked 72 laps to finish 1.1s behind Verstappen with a 1m32.484s that had briefly yielded the lead.

RB's Daniel Ricciardo produced just 48 laps, but his best effort was good enough for fourth, a mere 0.015s behind Sainz. Fellow afternoon runners Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) were next up in fifth and sixth respectively, followed by the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who was the fastest of the morning runners behind Verstappen.

‘Verstappen heads first day by 1.1s’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/2...rris/10578335/


Verstappen puts Red Bull over a second ahead of rivals on first day of testing
21st February 2024, 16:28
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Max Verstappen picked up where he left off last year by putting his Red Bull on top of the times by over a second on the first day of testing.

Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB20 1’31.344 143

2 4 Lando Norris McLaren MCL38 1’32.484 1.140 72

3 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Ferrari SF-24 1’32.584 1.240 69

4 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB RB01 1’32.599 1.255 52

5 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine A524 1’32.805 1.461 60

6 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR24 1’33.007 1.663 54

7 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-24 1’33.247 1.903 64

8 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin AMR24 1’33.385 2.041 77

9 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL38 1’33.658 2.314 57

10 24 Zhou Guanyu Sauber C44 1’33.871 2.527 62

'2024 Formula 1 Bahrain testing – Day One complete times';

https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/21/...ay-of-testing/


Verstappen boasts immense gap after opening Bahrain F1 test
21 February 5:01PM
Author Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen has ended the first pre-season test day on top of the timesheets. The three-time World Champion set a 1:31.344 in the final half hour of the session equipped with the C3 compound. Verstappen also set the most number of laps by a single driver with 143 to his name, ensuring he got his 10th season in F1 off to a strong start as he chases a fourth title.

‘Top of the timesheets’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...ahrain-f1-test


Verstappen dominates the timesheets on opening day of F1 testing
Red Bull Racing look the class of the field again heading into 2024
Published 21st Feb 2024, 16:02 GMT
By Toby Lock
Milton Keynes Citizen

The Dutchman put the first miles in the new RB20, designed and built in Tilbrook, in the Sakhir desert, completing more than 140 laps in the car as he took testing duties for the opening day. The only other driver in triple figures for laps was George Russell in the Mercedes, but all the other teams swapped drivers at the lunch break.

‘Verstappen dominates’;

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport...esting-4528074


F1 2024 Pre-season testing day one results
A precious first taste of relative performances of all ten teams will be revealed on the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit
February 21, 2024
James Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

After eight hours of intensive on-track testing by all teams, it was the Red Bull of Max Verstappen that set the fastest lap of the day.

Summary: Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated the first day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, ending the two combined sessions with a time over a second faster than the McLaren of Lando Norris.

The three-time World Champion also clocked the highest number of laps of all 18 drivers on track over the day, with a total of 143 laps. George Russell managed 122 laps in his Mercedes W15, while Nico Hulkenberg managed the third most laps with 82.

‘Day one results’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/f1...sting-day-one/


Max Verstappen commands first day of F1 2024 pre-season testing
Max Verstappen continued where he left off last year by dominating the first day of track action in F1 2024.
21 Feb 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Max Verstappen produced an ominous display of pace to take command of the opening day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain. While lap times in testing should always be treated with caution given the many variables and unknowns at play, Verstappen nevertheless laid down an impressive marker in his revamped Red Bull.

The RB20 attracted plenty of attention as it finally broke cover in Bahrain after Red Bull launched a drastic evolution of their dominant 2023 challenger. Verstappen didn’t look completely at one with his RB20 but appeared to dial out some early handling issues as the day progressed, setting his benchmark pace on the C3 compound in the final hour of running when conditions were at their best.

‘Ominous display of pace to take command’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104444...season-testing

[Matthew]

2024 Bahrain F1 test: Verstappen heads first day by 1.1s from Norris.
Verstappen used the much-improved conditions during the final half hour to knock another three tenths off and seal the top spot with a 1m31.344s lap, a second and a half faster than he was during the same session last winter.
Feb 21, 2024, 4:05 PM
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com

The three-time world champion set the pace in the morning session and stayed on board for the remainder of the day, reclaiming the lead from McLaren's Lando Norris around the halfway mark with a lap of 1m31.662s on Pirelli's yellow-marked C3 tyres.

Norris stayed second after a much-improved opening session of the new season compared to McLaren's backfoot start last year. After taking over from team-mate Oscar Piastri, the Briton clocked 72 laps to finish 1.1s behind Verstappen with a 1m32.484s that had briefly yielded the lead.

RB's Daniel Ricciardo produced just 48 laps, but his best effort was good enough for fourth, a mere 0.015s behind Sainz. Fellow afternoon runners Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) were next up in fifth and sixth respectively, followed by the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who was the fastest of the morning runners behind Verstappen.

‘Verstappen heads first day by 1.1s’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/2...rris/10578335/


Verstappen puts Red Bull over a second ahead of rivals on first day of testing
21st February 2024, 16:28
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Max Verstappen picked up where he left off last year by putting his Red Bull on top of the times by over a second on the first day of testing.

Pos. Car number Driver Team Model Best time Gap Laps

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB20 1’31.344 143

2 4 Lando Norris McLaren MCL38 1’32.484 1.140 72

3 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Ferrari SF-24 1’32.584 1.240 69

4 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB RB01 1’32.599 1.255 52

5 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine A524 1’32.805 1.461 60

6 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR24 1’33.007 1.663 54

7 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-24 1’33.247 1.903 64

8 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin AMR24 1’33.385 2.041 77

9 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL38 1’33.658 2.314 57

10 24 Zhou Guanyu Sauber C44 1’33.871 2.527 62

'2024 Formula 1 Bahrain testing – Day One complete times';

https://www.racefans.net/2024/02/21/...ay-of-testing/

No surprise to see Max at the top but good to see Ricciardo at number 4 spot which means that he has a good enough car to get consistent top 10 finishes.