2024 Pre-Season Testing - Bahrain International Circuit, Feb 21 - 23

[CouncilorIrissa]

No need for extra WT time when you have a guy that does CFD in his head

[Paa]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GG4JzaeWsAA ... =4096x4096

"DRS closed" data means different lap when DRS was closed during the whole straight?
Or data is from the same lap, just before the DRS was opened?

[SoulPancake13]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GG4JzaeWsAA ... =4096x4096

"DRS closed" data means different lap when DRS was closed during the whole straight?
Or data is from the same lap, just before the DRS was opened?

A lot of teams did fast laps with and without DRS, so without DRS laps were probably what was considered.

[stephen]

Max gained 1.493 seconds over last year which means he's still improving.

[BorisTheBlade]

RB take inspiration from Merc, move the game along, and now we are treated to sob stories about the unfairness of the rules. They aren't better because of alien technology, they are literally using solutions pioneered by others (but executed poorly) to develop. It's called being better, understanding the regulations better, and pushing the boundaries. It's F1.

Honestly I think it's just reached a point of frustration at how there are hundreds of brilliant and smart people in this sport spanning across all the teams and for 3 seasons now only one team seem to have cracked it and know what to do. Just got to admire the work that RBR has done.

its the budget cap. teams have only a certain dollar amount to spend and 9 of them spend it to find out why their concept doesnt stack up to red bull. this leaves them hardly anything relatively speaking to actually push beyond. red bull simply moves the goalposts further every year since they only need to develop ontop of a winning model. everyone will just move in parallel every year unless theres a significant incentive for the lower teams to catch up such as a budget reduction or BoP against RB.

You are aware of the concept of "diminishing returns"?
Also, the budget cap will lead to a lot of engineering prowess to switch Teams from the big ones to the smaller ones because they are able to pay them more (apart from the Top 3 earners per Team). This will also help level the playing field and it already started. But the effect will not be fully visible overnight.

And ofc it is still possible for the leader to overcome these things from time to time - but this should be rather the exception to the rule going forward.

[catent]

RB take inspiration from Merc, move the game along, and now we are treated to sob stories about the unfairness of the rules. They aren't better because of alien technology, they are literally using solutions pioneered by others (but executed poorly) to develop. It's called being better, understanding the regulations better, and pushing the boundaries. It's F1.

Honestly I think it's just reached a point of frustration at how there are hundreds of brilliant and smart people in this sport spanning across all the teams and for 3 seasons now only one team seem to have cracked it and know what to do. Just got to admire the work that RBR has done.

I guess I could understand the frustration if RB had come out with an RB19B and pulled 5 tenths on the field. But they haven't, they've brought the most radical evolution of anyone and are reaping the rewards because they understand what they are doing. Meanwhile most of the other teams have been running around like headless chickens for three seasons, moving from one concept to another, seemingly not understanding what works and what doesn't. Then they converge on the RB19 concept in desperation. What do RB do? Do they bring some new alien technology to the table? No. They simply pick apart some of the best ideas of other teams (which they seemingly understand better than those teams) and create an amalgamation of good ideas that works instantly. It's not an issue of rules, it's an issue of one team knowing what the **** they are doing whilst the others have been trying to push square pegs through round holes.

One can give credit to RBR for developing a car that is faster than its competition - for whatever reason(s) - without denigrating their competition, who I would assume are working hard and with good intention to create the most competitive car they can.

Rather lousy to badmouth other teams and their staffers, IMO.

[stonehenge]

Newest article from Michael Schmidt of AMuS. TLDR: Marko says real difference today was only three tenths. Shovlin says Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin are all close together.

EDIT: Link https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... g-analyse/

The mood was sombre as the chequered flag fell on the first day of testing. "Not again," the paddock was buzzing. Max Verstappen topped the leaderboard with a huge lead of 1.14 seconds over Lando Norris in the McLaren and 1.24 seconds over Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Even when he pushed the pace again on the same set of tires after two cool-down laps, he still beat the others' best times by four tenths.

The world champion was fast in all conditions. In the midday heat and in the cooler evening hours, when the asphalt temperature dropped by ten degrees. As usual, the Red Bull cut an even more commanding figure in the long runs. This was like a slap in the face for the competition. They had copied the key components of the championship-winning car as well as possible and added their own interpretations, but then Red Bull simply reinvented the ground-effect car and succeeded right off the bat.

The bold move by the best in class surprised everyone, except technology guru Adrian Newey. "We knew that the others would copy us. If we had simply developed last year's car further, that would not have been enough." Other teams would probably need three days of testing to understand a comparable new design and set it up correctly. Red Bull only needs a few laps. And although the car has been turned upside down, it is already running like clockwork. Verstappen completed 143 laps.

What happens now with team boss Christian Horner is of secondary importance. Red Bull will be at the front even without him. It is the engineers who make the right decisions in this team. In detail and in the big picture. This can be seen once again with the RB20.

The main focus was not on gaining more downforce via the underbody. Red Bull has understood that the development possibilities there are limited because you can't find unlimited downforce under the car without bouncing slowing you down.

Red Bull has therefore concentrated on the part of the car above the floor plate. The downforce gained there is less critical. The sidepods work like an additional wing. This required an upstream crash structure, an undercut over the entire length of the sidepods, a kind of wing profile for the side panels and a completely new cooling system.

In the center of the car, Red Bull tried to calm the air and took a Mercedes idea to its logical conclusion. Underneath the airbox, not only do two beads ensure a controlled flow towards the rear wing and beam wing, but an integrated air shaft also ensures that the bad air behind the cockpit is extracted. This allows fewer wings in the rear and reduces drag. The Red Bull was once again the fastest car on the straights with a 4 km/h lead.

Despite the superior performance on the first day of testing, Red Bull Sport boss Helmut Marko tries to put things into perspective. "The lead is not as big as it looks. We were the only ones who took to the track with fresh medium tires in the cool evening hours. That explains the big jump we made in the afternoon."

For Marko, the result before the lunch break is more representative. Everyone drove under comparable conditions. Conclusion: "We estimate the actual lead to be three tenths." The rights holders and the competition will be praying that the man from Graz is right. Formula 1 cannot endure another season like last year or an even worse one.

Even if the chasing pack is even closer together than in 2023. Mercedes chief engineer Andrew Shovlin reads from the data: "There's almost nothing separating Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin and us. But one thing is also clear. Red Bull has its nose in front"

Analysis is difficult because the teams set out with different programs on the first day of testing. Mercedes concentrated mainly on long runs after aerodynamic tests and setup work. Ferrari did without endurance runs, but apparently never really refueled.

George Russell reassured all the pessimists: "It was a day to understand the car, not to set the fastest times." Mercedes at least noted that the W15 is more consistent and predictable than its predecessors and that it is easier to set up. Will that be enough? "If the car is more pleasant to drive but slower, that wouldn't help us," warned team boss Toto Wolff.

But one thing is already clear. Red Bull's times could not have been achieved even under the best conditions. So this season will probably be another race to catch up. The problem with that is that this Red Bull cannot be copied during the season. You would have to change too many things in the architecture of the car. The cost cap doesn't allow that.

[SoulPancake13]

3 tenths all in all is not a huge gap whatsoever. I think we could be in for a more exciting season than we realize...

[Cs98]

Honestly I think it's just reached a point of frustration at how there are hundreds of brilliant and smart people in this sport spanning across all the teams and for 3 seasons now only one team seem to have cracked it and know what to do. Just got to admire the work that RBR has done.

I guess I could understand the frustration if RB had come out with an RB19B and pulled 5 tenths on the field. But they haven't, they've brought the most radical evolution of anyone and are reaping the rewards because they understand what they are doing. Meanwhile most of the other teams have been running around like headless chickens for three seasons, moving from one concept to another, seemingly not understanding what works and what doesn't. Then they converge on the RB19 concept in desperation. What do RB do? Do they bring some new alien technology to the table? No. They simply pick apart some of the best ideas of other teams (which they seemingly understand better than those teams) and create an amalgamation of good ideas that works instantly. It's not an issue of rules, it's an issue of one team knowing what the **** they are doing whilst the others have been trying to push square pegs through round holes.

One can give credit to RBR for developing a car that is faster than its competition - for whatever reason(s) - without denigrating their competition, who I would assume are working hard and with good intention to create the most competitive car they can.

Rather lousy to badmouth other teams and their staffers, IMO.

Better to shine the light on self-inflicted failures than to detract from deserved success.

[DGP123]

3 tenths all in all is not a huge gap whatsoever. I think we could be in for a more exciting season than we realize...

I wouldn’t believe Marko or the supposed 3 tenths.

At end of the day, both sides were always going to deny, or state the gap is smaller than it’s being perceived. They have to protect the sport and the show, and not drive everyone away, before a wheel is even turned at the first GP.

[chrisc90]

interesting comparison.

[codetower]

3 tenths all in all is not a huge gap whatsoever. I think we could be in for a more exciting season than we realize...

I wouldn’t believe Marko or the supposed 3 tenths.

At end of the day, both sides were always going to deny, or state the gap is smaller than it’s being perceived. They have to protect the sport and the show, and not drive everyone away, before a wheel is even turned at the first GP.

Not only that, but you want your competitors to close a .3s gap, and not a .75s gap. Plus it keeps the FIA off your back if the field is closer to you. I predict the gap tomorrow will be closer to .3s, not the huge one it was today. Like the final races of last year, they'll always keep a little in the pocket, only using it when necessary.

[Xyz22]

To be fair, Marko has always been bullish about performance in the past.

[Sieper]

To be fair, Marko has always been bullish about performance in the past.

True. And it is just day one. The teams will have done their analysis, but we onlookers need more data for our first insights.

[AR3-GP]

To be fair, Marko has always been bullish about performance in the past.

True. And it is just day one. The teams will have done their analysis, but we onlookers need more data for our first insights.

Many have already made up their minds.