Comparison of the teams’ race pace according to the results of the tests

In a few days, after the results of the Bahrain Grand Prix, it will be possible to get a more accurate picture of the teams’ potential, but even after the tests, a certain picture emerges that allows us to establish a certain rating.

It is clear that it is very approximate, but the main trends can still be traced. For example, it is difficult to dispute that Red Bull Racing claims to be the leader. The question is whether the rest are far behind, who else are in the top three, and how the places from fourth to tenth are divided.

As always, the statistics collected during the tests do not allow to build an exact hierarchy, as during each of the three days the external conditions changed, the condition of the track changed, the teams with different rubber compounds, different settings and fuel loads worked. . But then it is at least known exactly who and when on which tires, and there is also information about the number of laps.

The experts of The Race published an example to understand in which cases the teams ran simulated races, and after analysis they came to certain conclusions. We are only talking about race pace and not likely qualifying hands, which are much harder to imagine as many people hide their true speed during testing.

It turned out this:

It is logical that Red Bull Racing is at the forefront. Second and third place are shared by Ferrari and Aston Martin – their lead is estimated at around 0.2 seconds.

Fourth and fifth place are occupied by Mercedes and Alpine, but they are already about 0.6 seconds behind the leaders.

Three teams simultaneously claim sixth place – Haas, Alfa Romeo and McLaren, losing just over a second, to be exact – 1.05. This puts Williams (+1.25 seconds) on the 9th line and AlphaTauri closes the top ten (+1.45 seconds).

Obviously, all of this should be taken with caution as the teams ran a simulated race on different days and at different temperatures. On Saturday the condition of the asphalt was better than on Friday, but at the same time Red Bull solved other problems on the last day of testing and the race pace did not work out, so the picture is far from complete.

But perhaps one of the key takeaways is that Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes were all lined up, promising an interesting battle with at least five drivers.

Anyone who takes a seat in the cockpit of Aston Martin’s second car can hardly expect teammate Fernando Alonso to drive at his level. If Lance Stroll is allowed to start, firstly his physical condition raises questions and secondly he has hardly driven the AMR23, knows the car much worse than the Spaniard and will not be able to make up for the missed tests in three practice sessions. sessions.

If Stroll is replaced by Felipe Drugovic, then with all his talent in terms of experience, the comparison of the Brazilian debutant with Alonso is simply wrong.

The rating compilers immediately make a reservation that the available data is not sufficient to accurately determine Alpine’s speed capabilities, so that the team from Enstone can still provide a surprise. In addition, old rival friends such as Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly now play for her. The aspirations of both are very high, and Pierre will do his best to justify the trust of the team, but for this it is necessary, if not to get ahead of his partner, then at least to perform at his level.

For McLaren, testing didn’t go too smoothly – it was probably not in vain that Lando Norris’ reaction attracted general attention, but interest in this team is always high, and now Oscar Piastri, who is considered one of the most promising young riders , has also fitted the orange uniform. It has long been known that Lando is capable of high results even behind the wheel of a not the most efficient car, but how a newcomer, even as talented as Oscar, will show himself is another question.

How the places at the back of the pack will be distributed is probably the main concern for fans of Williams and AlphaTauri, but let’s not forget that both teams have interesting and at the same time such different debutants – Logan Sargent and Nick de Vries.

While the results of the tests can be interpreted quite arbitrarily, professional experience will most likely put de Vries ahead of the American, even if the FW45 car is indeed confirmed to be slightly faster than the AT04. Which is also not a fact.