Starting from February 23, 2024, Formula 1 tests took place in Sakhir, Bahrain, for three days. The annual pre-season testing period has come to an end and now the focus turns to the opening race of the 2024 season this weekend. The question that arises is: which teams can face the start of the Bahrain season with confidence in their prospects and who will have a disappointing start?
It is important to consider the limitations of winter testing, as fuel loads and engine mapping modes are not disclosed to the public. Haas had a disappointing season last year, scoring only one point in the last 13 races and finishing at the bottom of the championship. However, their performance in pre-season testing showed promise as they completed the most laps among all teams, totaling 439. Despite this, Haas’ new team boss, Ayao Komatsu, already predicted a challenging start to the season.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen had the slowest lap time among the 20 drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg managing to surpass five other drivers with a late surge. However, Haas prioritized long runs during testing, rather than going for faster lap times. Their goal was to address the tire wear issues they faced in the previous season.
Sauber is another team looking to recover from a difficult season, where they dropped from sixth to ninth position in the overall standings. The Swiss team underwent a revamp, unveiling their C44 car in a distinctive neon color scheme. Zhou Guanyu achieved a time of 1:30.647s, securing fourth position. It is worth noting that Sauber is known for running “glory runs” with low fuel levels. Zhou also achieved the second fastest time on the second day of testing in 2023.
Valtteri Bottas, Sauber’s driver, had the third slowest lap time, which better represents the team’s pace. He also faced an interruption on the final morning due to a problem that required the team to stop their activities.
Sauber hopes to compete with Williams, who faced more interruptions during testing and completed fewer laps (298), 29 less than the team with the worst performance.
Logan Sargeant will need a significant improvement to maintain his position in the upcoming season, but he had the fewest laps (138) and recorded the second slowest time as well.
The Grove-based team may find some hope in Alex Albon’s surprising performance, as he achieved the eighth fastest time with a lap of 1:30.984s in the final hours with the C4.
Williams achieved their best position in the Constructors’ Championship since 2017, finishing in seventh place, and they are optimistic that they have caught up to Alpine during the recent winter.
After finishing in sixth place last season, Alpine decided to completely overhaul the design of their car and acknowledged that it would take time to optimize their new package.
The test times confirmed this attention to detail, as Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished in 16th and 17th places, respectively, when testing concluded.
Despite the lap times suggesting otherwise, the A524 still seemed to be a heavy car and unresponsive when navigating different corner configurations in Bahrain.
Gasly expressed his assessment that Alpine’s competitiveness does not look great, but he remains hopeful for a quick turnaround.
The team leading the pack seems to be RB, which rebranded from AlphaTauri during the winter and aims to continue their momentum from the end of the previous season.
After a disastrous start to the previous campaign, the Faenza-based team started to challenge consistently for points in the later stages of the season, coming close to overtaking Williams for seventh place.
The rebranded team has high hopes of avoiding that specific battle this season, and Daniel Ricciardo even expressed his desire to compete for top-five results.
Although the experienced Australian has since retracted that specific statement, RB seems to have built a stable platform to build on with their VCARB 01 vehicle.
Yuki Tsunoda achieved the seventh fastest time in the end, with a lap of 1:30.775s on C4 tires, while Ricciardo was outside the top 10 but showed some strong performances in the race.
However, at this stage, it seems unlikely that RB has reduced the gap enough during the winter to alleviate McLaren CEO Zak Brown’s concerns about the setup.
McLaren had been identified as the team in the best position to challenge Red Bull’s dominant pace, emerging as the most consistent competitor to the Austrian team.
The Woking-based team experienced one of the most remarkable turnarounds last season, going from struggling to score points to regularly achieving podium finishes.
Unlike many of their rivals, McLaren had the advantage of building on a foundation they understood. However, it remains uncertain if they fully capitalized on that advantage.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that McLaren finds itself in a better position this time, with Oscar Piastri recording a time that was three tenths behind Max Verstappen.
The Bahrain International Circuit has historically exposed McLaren’s weaknesses, so caution must be exercised regarding the MCL38 for the time being.
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, claims the team has improved rear grip, which should enhance their performance in low-speed situations, but there is room for further improvement.
Lando Norris dismissed the possibility of being a contender for a podium in Bahrain this weekend, although he is known for expressing pessimism about his chances.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin had a good start last winter but took a more conservative approach this time, with both drivers finishing outside the top 10.
However, Mercedes Technical Director James Allison was impressed by a race simulation completed by Fernando Alonso in the final stages, which caught attention.
The Silverstone-based team expressed their intention to create a base that ensured the competitiveness of the AMR24 on all types of circuits throughout the season.
Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll can rely on a car that is gentle on their tires, but will it be enough for the Spaniard to challenge for a podium once again?
A team that should be well-prepared to compete for a podium position is Ferrari, which demonstrated an impressive burst of speed with their renewed SF-24 car for 2024.
The Italian marque secured first and second positions at the end of testing, with Carlos Sainz setting the fastest time of 1:29.921s on the C4 tire compound.
However, it was the performance of the Scuderia during race simulations that caught attention, as Sainz overtook Sergio Perez’s Red Bull during a comparable stretch on the second day.
Ferrari had prioritized the development of a more predictable and adaptable car compared to their problematic predecessor, which resulted in the team finishing in third place.
Charles Leclerc confirmed the success of the modifications, noting that the SF-24 was not affected by changes in wind direction, unlike their previous model.
Similarly, Mercedes committed to a complete overhaul in 2024 to eliminate the “tricky” characteristics of their rear end that had hindered their drivers in the past.
Although the Mercedes team seemed disappointed last year, the German team enters the new season with renewed optimism after a positive test.
Mercedes mainly focused on long runs during testing, but George Russell showed the potential of the W15 when he achieved the second fastest time on the third and final day.
Both Russell and Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence in the direction Mercedes has taken, but they also acknowledged that one team still has an advantage over the others.
Since Formula 1 returned to ground-effect aerodynamics in 2022, Red Bull has dominated the competition, winning all but one of the 22 races held in the last season.
Despite claiming to have taken an evolutionary approach with the champion RB19, Red Bull has managed to push the limits with innovative solutions.
The team’s new car features a vertical slot inlet on the sides, reminiscent of the abandoned ‘zeropod’ concept by Mercedes.
Any hopes that Red Bull’s rivals had of encountering unexpected difficulties were shattered on the first day, when Verstappen set a time over a second faster than anyone else.
Although the reigning champion dropped to sixth in the overall time standings, Verstappen and teammate Perez did not use the C4 or C5 tire compounds during their runs.
Red Bull had minor technical issues, but nothing that hampered their program, leading their rivals to acknowledge that the RB20 is in a league of its own.
Therefore, Red Bull appears to be the team to beat, but the extent of their advantage remains uncertain. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out the true hierarchy of this season.
2024
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s victory over Barcelona in the Spanish classic. The game, which took place at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, was a true display of skills and emotions.
In the first half, Ronaldo opened the scoring with a beautiful shot from outside the box. Barcelona tried to react, but Real Madrid’s defense was impeccable. At the 35th minute, Ronaldo scored his second goal, taking advantage of a perfect cross from Marcelo.
In the second half, Barcelona came back more aggressive and managed to reduce the lead with a goal from Messi. However, Ronaldo was in an inspired night and scored his third goal at the 75th minute, securing Real Madrid’s victory.
With this win, Real Madrid remains at the top of the Spanish league and increases the advantage over Barcelona. Ronaldo, once again, showed why he is considered one of the best players in the world.
Real Madrid fans were ecstatic with Ronaldo’s performance and celebrated the victory with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Barcelona fans were frustrated with the result and hope that the team will recover in the upcoming games.
The Spanish classic is always one of the most anticipated matches of the season, and this game did not disappoint. With lots of excitement and incredible goals, the game was a true spectacle for football fans.
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is known worldwide, and this classic only reinforced that rivalry. The two teams have a history of intense clashes and fierce competitions.
In the next encounter between Real Madrid and Barcelona, fans are already eager to see the duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The two players are considered the best in the world and always create great moments in games between the teams.
The Spanish classic is always an unmissable event for football lovers, and this match will certainly be remembered in history. Ronaldo, with his hat-trick, once again showed why he is one of the greatest players of all time.
