The three-day pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit concluded last week, and the next track action will come at the same track this coming weekend for the first Grand Prix of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.
It was a pretty uneventful test for Formula 1 – aside from a couple of stoppages due to loose drain covers – with the majority of teams getting through their programmes. Aside from Williams Racing on the opening day and McLaren F1 Team on Day 2, everyone broke the one hundred lap barrier on each day, with the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team the busiest of all.
But what have the drivers made of pre-season testing and their new 2024 machinery. Who will go into the new season with confidence and who will be feeling they are on the back foot?
#1 – Max Verstappen – Oracle Red Bull Racing
“Overall it was a very good Friday. We focused on the long running to get more of an understanding of the car and it was good to see the performance of the car was very strong.
“We made the plan to not focus on pure lap time and tried different compounds, so I am happy with the laps that we did. As we head into the race weekend it is all about fine tuning the car and also seeing what the race throws at you when you push the car to the limit.
“We now need to look into the data a bit more and try to come up with a plan for the week ahead. We’ve had a really positive test and we have learned a lot from everything we changed, so we are looking forward to next week.”
#11 Sergio Perez – Oracle Red Bull Racing
“It has been a good start to the year for the Team, we have got plenty of mileage over the last few days. The run programme that we put together was very good and meant we really made the most out of the days.
“Now it is time to look forward to the race next weekend, I have a good feeling in the car, so let’s see once we get to race it, but the feeling is very positive.”
#16 – Charles Leclerc – Scuderia Ferrari
“We’ve wrapped up our third day of testing, having put in a solid number of laps and completed a lot of different tests, which is positive. The car is reacting the way that we wanted it to, but it is still difficult to assess its level of competitiveness right now.
“The feeling is better than the base we started from last year. Now, it’s full focus on the race and I can’t wait to be back on track next week.”
#55 – Carlos Sainz Jr. – Scuderia Ferrari
“One last push here in Sakhir, maximising these final laps before we move on with the proper Bahrain GP next week. Overall, it has been a good day, despite the red flag that disrupted the running a bit but I enjoyed every single lap in the car today.
“We tested a lot of different configurations to collect as much data as possible. The car seems to be in a decent place and I’m proud of the work that the team has done to complete such a solid test programme.”
#44 – Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
“Overall, it’s been a really good test. I’m really proud of everyone trackside and those back at the factory. Every single woman and man has been working tirelessly, both at Brackley, Brixworth, and here in Bahrain.
“It’s massively encouraging and great to see everyone working so well together. The focus, determination, and communication is the best I’ve ever seen.
“We know we’ve got work to do and we’re not yet where we want to be. We knew that would be the case coming into the test though. We’ve got a great platform to build on. We’ll go away and work hard over the next couple of days to go through all the data from the test.
“I’m really excited for the start of the season next week and we’ll be heading into it in good shape.”
#63 – George Russell – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
“We’ve had a solid three days here in Bahrain. We managed to get through all of our planned programme, despite the stoppages. The car has been handling well and correlates to the feeling we had on the simulator ahead of coming here. We’ve got a very good base to build from.
“We’re aware that there’s a lot more lap time to find. We knew that would be the case ahead of the test, and Red Bull are looking very strong once again. Nevertheless, I’m confident that we’re in a much better place than we were 12 months ago.
“The team at Brackley and Brixworth have done a great job to get us into this position and with a car that is a step in the right direction. We now need to focus on firstly getting the most out of the package we have and secondly, adding more downforce and trying to close that gap.”
#4 – Lando Norris – McLaren F1 Team
“Final day of testing done. I’m happy with what we’ve achieved over the last three days and feeling ready for the start of the season. We encountered one or two setbacks here and there, but that is to be expected during pre-season testing.
“The important thing is we have a good understanding of the car now, we have plenty of data to go over and will come back stronger for the race next weekend. Overall, positive signs and we have a better understanding of the work we have to do. Bring on race week!”
#81 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren F1 Team
“That’s the end of testing. We had a smooth, fun session today and got plenty of laps on the board, which was good. We’re in decent shape and more or less where we expected to be, but we still have some work to do.
“It was useful to get some race sim work done today, we rarely get to practice doing races in testing, so it was nice to have that opportunity. We’ll see what everybody’s got next week and that will give much more of an indication as to where we are. I’m excited and ready for the first race.”
#14 – Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team
“We have tried to learn as much as possible during this test and focused on ourselves. It would be nice to have the predictions and knowledge of where everyone is but that is not the case in testing.
“The AMR24 is a step forward from last year and we just have to see how big of a step forward we have taken compared to everybody else. We will know more next week after Qualifying.
“It was good to get a number of laps on the board over the three days and I feel fit and ready to go for the start of the new season.”
#18 – Lance Stroll – Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team
“It’s great to be out in Bahrain for testing – I’m especially pleased to be here after missing last year’s pre-season test. Time in the car is so valuable for all of us: we’re gathering data and learning about the AMR24 with every lap we complete.
“We’ve made good use of these days to run a lot of parts and set-ups – the car feels better every day – and we’ve not had any reliability issues. It’s still too early to make any big predictions, but I’m looking forward to first race of the year next week.”
