Max Verstappen’s impressive lap times on the first day convincingly addressed these uncertainties.
Helmut Marko acknowledged that Mercedes is faster than Red Bull had predicted after pre-season testing, bringing positive updates to Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton.
However, the Austrian believes that Ferrari faces more challenges than the reigning champions, while McLaren is facing unrest due to the performance of the RB20.
After revealing Red Bull’s new car for 2024, which marked a significant change from the design of the RB19, questions arose about how the team would compare to its competitors.
Max Verstappen’s impressive lap times on the first day convincingly answered these questions.
Meanwhile, Mercedes had a trouble-free week, while Ferrari faced setbacks when Charles Leclerc damaged his car by hitting a loose manhole cover on the second day.
McLaren entered the pre-season with high expectations, but their feedback was relatively restrained compared to their rivals.
Expressing his observations after watching the on-track proceedings in Bahrain, Marko told Motorsport-Total that Red Bull’s team is “proud” of the performance of their 2024 competitor, the RB20.
“The reliability is exceptional,” Marko explained. “And in terms of tire performance, Ferrari seems to be facing more problems than us once again. McLaren also seems a bit nervous.
As for Mercedes, I’m not sure about their approach. They are definitely faster than they showed us. However, we can remain confident.”
Marko’s positive perspective on the performance of the W15 resonated with George Russell.
After the second day of testing, he commented, “It’s definitely an improvement.”
The unrest within McLaren, mentioned by Marko, became evident when Andrea Stella spoke before the Friday sessions.
“I believe the car provides a solid foundation for development and represents a step forward from last year’s model,” he said.
“However, overall, it is clear that many teams have made progress, which is expected.
Each week of development brings performance improvements.
One team seems to have made a significant leap, unfortunately it is the team that was already the fastest last year.
The chasing pack seemed balanced last year, and it seems even more balanced this year.”
