With Max Verstappen sitting out Thursday’s dual testing sessions, the Formula 1 grid was open for another driver, or perhaps another team, to enjoy some glory in Bahrain.
As the day turned to night, it was the Tifosi who dreamed the biggest.
The morning session came to a close early, after Charles Leclerc struck a loose drain cover. But that did not prevent him from posting a time that ended up sixth-best when the checkered flag flew.
Then it was Carlos Sainz Jr.’s turn, and he put in a tremendous performance in the afternoon session. Sainz went to the top of the timing sheets on a set of C3 medium tires, but then Ferrari bolted on a softer set of C4s, and he improved on that time, finishing atop the timing sheets.
Sainz then brought the day ot a close with a set of C2 hards on his SF-24, as the team used “golden hour” to focus on a program of longer runs.
Perhaps the most positive sign for Ferrari? The tire eating problems they endured with the SF-23 might not be present with this year’s challenger, given how Sainz performed on longer runs Thursday.
Again, the usual caveats apply. This is simply the second day of testing, and given that teams are running different programs — and some might even be “sandbagging” — it is hard to come away with a definitive pecking order. At least, a definitive pecking order behind Red Bull.
But many believe that Ferrari tops the list:
#AMuS Michael Schmidt said that at the moment people in the paddock believe that Ferrari is the second fastest car (behind Red Bull).#F1Testing
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) February 22, 2024
You could hear the roars from Maranello after what Ferrari was able to do on Thursday.
Here are the full results, as well as some other thoughts following the second day of pre-season testing:
An “aggressive” approach paying off for Sauber?
One of the stars of testing so far has been Sauber’s C44.
In particular, their livery.
In another year dominated by bare carbon fiber, Sauber’s neon green is a striking visual, and a massive contrast with the rest of the grid. But the team obviously needs more than a striking design from the C44, they need performance.
Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were pleased with what they saw from the C44 on Wednesday. “It seems that we have made some improvements compared to last year and we were able to get a good feel for our car,” said Bottas following Wednesday’s session. “The correlation between our simulator data and what we’re experiencing on the track is definitely reassuring, especially on the first day of testing.”
“Our car seems to be heading in the right direction, and even though there is definitely still room for improvement, the feeling is pretty good.” Added Zhou. “I reckon the aggressive approach we have taken over the winter allowed us to make a step forward compared to last year’s car, and you can tell the difference out there on track, which is great.”
That aggressive approach does seem to be paying off. Zhou finished the day in P13, and as for Bottas he was up in the top five until late in the afternoon session, before he turned his attention to some longer runs and other teams started to push a little harder as the session wound down. Although there was a moment with under ten minutes remaining in the session where Bottas was able to get inside of Norris, who was driving on a fresher set of C3s.
Perhaps a sign of Sauber having something special for the grid?
Results from Wednesday and now Thursday do seem to indicate the team has taken a step forward from last year.
Not everyone enjoyed the late bit of racing
As noted above, late in the session fans — as well as those in the commentary box on F1TV — were treated to a bit of racing action. After track officials worked through a systems check, testing yellow and red flag situations as well as a virtual safety car, a handful of drivers came back out onto the track, including Bottas, Lando Norris, and Lewis Hamilton.
Suddenly, pre-season testing looked more like the closing stages of the Bahrain Grand Prix as the drivers mixed it up a bit, including Bottas dipping down to the inside of Norris for an overtake.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who was also on the track during the display, offered a bit of up-close commentary:
Ferrari and drain covers: A poor mix
Stop me if you have heard this before.
A practice session came to an early end when a Ferrari driver collided with a loose drain cover.
If that scenario sounds familiar, it is because it happened before. In the first practice session ahead of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last November it was Carlos Sainz Jr. who came into contact with a loose manhole cover, which caused significant damage to the floor of his SF-23 and brought FP1 to a halt.
Then on Thursday in Bahrain, it was Charles Leclerc’s turn. He came into contact with a loose drain cover, which ultimately brought the first practice session of the day to an early close.
Complicating matters, Sainz actually spotted the loose cover and tried to bring it to the attention of a marshall. “I was actually standing right in front of the drain cover when it came out, because I went on track to see,” he said to F1TV. “I was looking at it [thinking] ‘yellow flag it, yellow flag it, yellow flag it, someone’s going to take it!’ Boom, my teammate came and took it.
“So, I felt like it could have been avoided in a way. I missed it by one lap because I went to speak to a marshal and just when I was speaking to him, ‘yellow flag it…’ So I feel a bit to blame.”
It was still a very strong day for Ferrari, and when Leclerc chatted with Will Buxton during the afternoon session the driver was in good spirits. But the team is probably a little tired of seeing loose drain covers at this point.
More ominous signs from Red Bull?
With just under three hours left in the afternoon session, Red Bull fans saw something they did not want to see.
Sergio Pérez slowly lumbering back to pit lane.
Replays on F1TV showed Pérez easing off the throttle as the RB20 wound through Turns 10 and 11, and the power unit certainly did not sound normal.
Pérez was not in the garage for long, as he returned quickly to the track.
And put his RB20 into the top five.
But Pérez was not done. Late in the session he took to the track one a fresh set of C3s, and posted a banger of a lap, slotting in second behind Sainz. While it was still only the second-best time of the day, Pérez posted his time on a harder set of tires than Sainz.
Perhaps sending more chills through the rest of the field.
We know what is at stake for Pérez this season. The veteran driver is one of 13 drivers set to see their contract expire at the end of the season. Pérez’s Red Bull future was put into doubt last season, particularly during a mid-season stretch where he continually failed to put the RB19 into Q3. That prompted countless stories about whether Red Bull would move on from him, and with a number of drivers in the fold vying for his seat, Pérez is under a tremendous amount of pressure to deliver this season.
He seemed up to the moment on Thursday.
Perhaps an ominous sign for the rest of the field … and for those drivers hoping to slide into that seat.
VCARB and Daniel Ricciardo are cooking
Speaking of one of the drivers in the Red Bull fold …
Daniel Ricciardo might be cooking.
He put the RB01 into the top ten on a set of C3s late in the afternoon session, but then the team bolted on a set of C4s for him to try a few “glory runs.” The result? Ricciardo bumped a few spots up the board, into P5. The effort was still more than a second off the lap time Sainz posted on a set of C4s, but more importantly he looked comfortable over the course of the lap, and the car seemed to respond in kind.
Again, the usual “it is just testing” caveats apply … but Ricciardo and VCARB might be cooking. Last season Aston Martin was tapped as the surprise package for the field.
This year it might be VCARB.
Thursday still part of the plan for Haas
Yesterday the Haas duo of Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished at the back of the pack, as the team focused on longer runs. The reason? Tire degradation was a massive problem for Haas a season ago, as many race weekends saw the VF-23 show tremendous one-lap pace in qualifying, yet fall to the back of the pack on Sunday as the car chewed through tires.
Focusing on longer runs as a means of solving that problem made sense for Haas to start the season, only now their fans will be wondering if that was the plan on Thursday as well. Yet again the Haas duo finished the day at the back of the field, with Magnussen in P15 and Hülkenberg in P16. The only driver participating in testing on Thursday who finished behind them was Yuki Tsunoda, who posted his best lap time on a set of C2s, a harder compound than the C3s used by the Haas pair.
In a pre-season Q&A provided by Haas new Team Principal Ayao Komatsu predicted that they would be at the back of the pack when the year began. “Out of the gates in Bahrain, like I said, I still think we’re going to be towards the back of the grid, if not last. Since I’ve become Team Principal, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to managers – both in the UK and Italy – and they’re excited because it’s an opportunity to improve and there are areas of improvement everywhere,” said Komatsu at the start of the month.
“The reason our launch-spec car is not going to be quick enough in Bahrain is not because of the quality of the people we have here, but it’s because we started late and then we stopped for two months to do the Austin upgrade,” added the Haas boss. “It really diverted resource, so we lost time there, but the team is finding good gains in the wind tunnel so that’s positive and in terms of characteristics, it’s going in the right direction.”
Komatsu also outlined what the team’s focus will be during pre-season testing.
“The focus is to have a good test program for Bahrain so that we come away from the test having quality data for the team to analyze and understand which direction to develop the car,” said the Haas Team Principal. “This means understanding the strength and weakness of the VF-24 accurately, then put a coherent plan together to produce updates on the car, which hasn’t happened previously.”
Near the end of the afternoon session, Komatsu outlined in an interview with Lawrence Barretto on F1TV that race pace and tire degradation was again their focus on Thursday. “So far we’ve been 100% focused on long-run performance,” said Komatsu. “So far what we’re seeing is encouraging … it’s been a really positive experience.”
“Positive, but still cautious,” was Komatsu’s conclusion with Barretto.
So it seems that Thursday was again all part of the plan for Haas.
