26/02/2024
NEWS STORY
One of the oldest adages in F1, indeed motor sport, is that to finish first, first you have to finish, and there is no arguing with that.
How many times over the years have we seen a team - yes, we mean you Ferrari - with great pace throw it all away due to poor reliability or strategy.
While the pre-season test doesn't tell us whether the likes of Ferrari has improved the strategic side of its package, it does tell us that the SF-24 is the fastest car out there.
Through the speed-trap the SF-24 and RB20 were both measured at 198.2 mph (319 km/h) compared to the Mercedes and Aston Martin at 197.6 mph (318 km/h) and the McLaren at 195 mph (315 km/h).
And while the Red Bull was quickest through fast corners, ahead of the McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin, in slow corners it was the SF-24 that ruled, edging out the Red Bull and Mercedes.
However, ignoring the fact that we are not privy to such information as fuel loads or engine modes, all that pace counts for nought if reliability is poor.
Last year the Red Bull was essentially bulletproof, finishing 95% of the times it started, this compared to Mercedes (89%), Ferrari (86%) and Aston Martin (88%). McLaren's reliability was 91%, but let's not forget the Woking outfit's poor start to the season.
A high number of laps is not only a sign of good reliability, the more laps a team can complete the more data it can acquire, and in contemporary F1 data is everything.
So, after three days of testing, marred only by the Bahrain International Circuit's errant drain covers, Haas appears to have good reliability, if a total lack of pace... and that's without even thinking about the tyre issues that plagued the American outfit throughout 2023.
Ferrari also appears to have good reliability and was ahead of Red Bull and Aston Martin, while Mercedes and particularly McLaren appear to have work to do.
At the other end of the timesheets, Alex Albon looks as though he's going to have his work cut out at Williams, while Alpine is also facing a tough time of it. On the other hand the prospects at Sauber look a little brighter.
Another tantalising aspect to all this is that traditionally Spain has been the race where teams would introduce their first significant upgrades of the season. However, this year the Barcelona event is the tenth race on the calendar, with the opening six events being fly-aways, leaving Imola as the first European race.
Consequently, while it is entirely possible that teams will introduce upgrades sooner rather than later, in a situation similar to that which McLaren encountered last season, it could be some time before a struggling outfit might turn things around.
While the likes of Alonso, Leclerc and Hamilton are already appearing to hand the title to Red Bull, there is a long, long way to go, and while we still see Max and the RB20 as favourites we do not believe that we will witness the same sort of domination as witnessed last year.
In an effort to keep fans glued to their seats - once they've binge watched the latest series of Drive to Survive - Liberty and its media (PR) slaves will be working like crazy to 'big up' any potential threat to Red Bull's domination.
However, without needing to resort to such nonsense, we genuinely believe that while the RB20 is looking to be the best out there, there will be a number of times when Max and Sergio have a genuine fight on their hands.
Driver Test Mileage
| Driver | Team | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Magnussen | Haas | 239 | 803.7 | 1293.5 |
| Sainz | Ferrari | 224 | 753.3 | 1212.3 |
| Ricciardo | RB | 210 | 706.2 | 1136.5 |
| Verstappen | Red Bull | 208 | 699.5 | 1125.7 |
| Hulkenberg | Haas | 200 | 672.6 | 1082.4 |
| Stroll | Aston Martin | 196 | 659.1 | 1060.8 |
| Bottas | Stake | 193 | 649.0 | 1044.5 |
| Ocon | Alpine | 193 | 649.0 | 1044.5 |
| Leclerc | Ferrari | 192 | 645.7 | 1039.1 |
| Russel | Mercedes | 189 | 635.6 | 1022.9 |
| Zhou | Stake | 185 | 622.1 | 1001.2 |
| Alonso | Aston Martin | 182 | 612.1 | 985.0 |
| Perez | Red Bull | 182 | 612.1 | 985.0 |
| Piastri | McLaren | 182 | 612.1 | 985.0 |
| Hamilton | Mercedes | 172 | 578.4 | 930.9 |
| Albon | Williams | 160 | 538.1 | 865.9 |
| Tsunoda | RB | 156 | 524.6 | 844.3 |
| Norris | McLaren | 145 | 487.6 | 784.7 |
| Gasly | Alpine | 141 | 474.2 | 763.1 |
| Sargeant | Williams | 138 | 464.1 | 746.9 |
Team Test Mileage
| Team | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Haas | 439 | 1476.3 | 2375.9 |
| Ferrari | 416 | 1399.0 | 2251.4 |
| Red Bull | 390 | 1311.6 | 2110.7 |
| Aston Martin | 378 | 1271.2 | 2045.7 |
| Stake | 378 | 1271.2 | 2045.7 |
| RB | 366 | 1230.8 | 1980.8 |
| Mercedes | 361 | 1214.0 | 1953.7 |
| Alpine | 334 | 1123.2 | 1807.6 |
| McLaren | 327 | 1099.7 | 1769.7 |
| Williams | 298 | 1002.2 | 1612.8 |
Engine Manufacturer Test Mileage
| Engine Manufacturer | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Mercedes | 1364 | 4587.1 | 7382.0 |
| Ferrari | 1233 | 4146.5 | 6673.0 |
| Honda | 756 | 2542.4 | 4091.5 |
| Renault | 334 | 1123.2 | 1807.6 |
Check out our Testing galleries from Bahrain, here.