SAKHIR – The longest season in Formula One history, a record 24 races, revs up for a March 2 start in Bahrain and what could be a long haul for rivals hoping to close the gap and beat Max Verstappen’s dominant Red Bull team.
The evidence from the three days of testing at the Sakhir circuit last week was that the reigning champions, winners of all but one of the 22 grands prix in 2023, were set to pick up where they left off.
Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin all made the right noises about their new cars, confident that gremlins had been removed and performance improved, but the real proof has yet to come.
The suspicion is that when the flag drops, with the first two rounds of the season in the Middle East held a day earlier than usual to accommodate Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, Red Bull will be first across the line.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “There’s one car that seems to have found a big step. Unfortunately, (that’s) the car that was already the quickest last year.”
The hope, for fans wanting tighter racing and yearning for change after Red Bull’s run of 38 wins in the last 44 races, is that the gap will close as the season progresses. For now, the RB20 is looking formidable to rivals.
Red Bull began development on their 2024 car midway through last season and the result is an aggressively different design, which lived up to its daring good looks with ominous pace in testing.
Verstappen, seeking a fourth straight title, dominated the first day. The Dutchman, never one for hyperbole, said “the car was responding well”.
When testing wrapped up, the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were in no doubt that yet again Red Bull were the team to beat this season. But there were others who also believe that the campaign will not be as one-sided as it was in 2023.
“There are more races now so there’s more track time, more data, more understanding, more looking at other cars and seeing what developments they bring,” said Daniel Ricciardo, who drives for the Visa Cash App RB (former AlphaTauri) team.
“I don’t think anyone’s pressing any panic buttons. It’s a long season and developments can make big changes.”
Ferrari, the only team to beat Red Bull last season when Carlos Sainz won in Singapore, showed that they have what it takes to challenge Red Bull by lapping the fastest on the second and third days of testing.
Leclerc reckoned that the “driveability” of this year’s car is much better and “that will help us on the long runs”.
Mercedes were also buoyed by a much less “spiteful” car than its predecessor. Last term, they failed to win a race for the first time since 2011.
“We’re looking alright,” Mercedes technical director James Allison said. “I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone that (Red Bull) have got their noses and perhaps a bit more of their face in front of those of us that are chasing.
“But I think we’ll make a good fist of the chasing and hopefully just develop strongly through the year.”
The season will be seven-time world champion Hamilton’s farewell to Mercedes before he heads to Ferrari in 2025 as replacement for Sainz.
Who takes over Hamilton’s seat will be a talking point for months to come, as will the uncertainty over Verstappen’s future teammate with Sergio Perez out of contract at the end of 2024.
China returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019 and Italy’s Imola is back after the 2023 race was cancelled because of flooding.
There will again be six sprint weekends, with Miami and Shanghai replacing Baku and Spa-Francorchamps.
There are no rookie drivers and, remarkably, no changes to line-ups since the end of 2023.
There are new team bosses, with Netflix Drive To Survive favourite Guenther Steiner replaced by Ayao Komatsu at Haas and Laurent Mekies in charge at the rebranded RB.
Sauber-run Alfa Romeo are now racing as Kick Sauber. REUTERS, AFP
