7 F1 takeaways from day 2 of 2024 pre-season testing

With Max Verstappen absent from Thursday’s dual test session, the F1 grid was left open for another driver, or perhaps another team, to enjoy glory in Bahrain.

As day turned to night, it was Tifosi who had the biggest dreams.

The morning session ended early after Charles Leclerc hit a loose drain cover. However, that didn’t stop him from setting a time and he was sixth when the checkered flag flew.

Next it was Carlos Sainz Jr.’s turn and he put in a great performance in the afternoon session. Sainz topped the timesheets on a set of C3 medium tyres, but Ferrari bolted on a softer set of C4s and improved his times to finish at the top of the timesheets.

Sainz then wrapped up the day with a C2 hard set on the SF-24, and the team took advantage of the “golden hour” to focus on a long-distance run program.

Perhaps the most positive sign for Ferrari? Given Sainz’s performance in Thursday’s long run, the tire-eating issues endured in the SF-23 may not be present in this year’s Challenger.

Again, the usual precautions apply. This is merely his second day of testing, and given that teams are running different programs and some may even be “sandbagging”, the final priority is difficult to decide. At the very least, it’s definitely next to Red Bull.

However, many believe that Ferrari is at the top of the list.

A roar could be heard from Maranello after what Ferrari achieved on Thursday.

Here are the complete results and other thoughts from day two of preseason testing.

Will an “aggressive” approach work for Sauber?

One of the test stars so far has been Sauber’s C44.

Especially the coloring.

Even though exposed carbon fiber has become mainstream this year, Sauber’s neon green is still a striking visual, providing a great contrast to the rest of the grid. But it’s clear the team needs more than just his C44’s striking design, it also needs performance.

Both Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Chou were happy with what they saw from the C44 on Wednesday. “It seems like we’ve made some improvements compared to last year, and the car feels better,” he said. Bottas after Wednesday’s session. “The correlation between the simulator data and what we are experiencing on the track is definitely reassuring, especially on the first day of testing.”

“Our car seems to be heading in the right direction. Obviously there’s still room for improvement, but it feels pretty good,” added Chou. “Thanks to the aggressive approach we took over the winter, I think we were able to take a step forward compared to last year’s car. You can see the difference on track, so that’s great.”

That proactive approach appears to be paying off. Zhou ended the day in 13th place, but as for Bottas, he was in the top five until late in the afternoon session, but then turned his attention to long-distance running, with other teams slowly starting to push as the session ended. With less than 10 minutes left in the session, there was a moment when Bottas got inside Norris, who was driving the new C3.

Perhaps a sign that Sauber has something special for the grid?

Wednesday’s results and now Thursday’s results seem to show that the team has taken a step forward from last year.

Not everyone enjoyed the second half of the race

As mentioned above, in the second half of the session, not only the fans, but also the fans in the commentary box F1TV — I enjoyed a little racing action. Several drivers, including Bottas, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, returned to the track after circuit officials conducted system checks, tested yellow and red flag situations and the virtual safety car.

Pre-season testing suddenly looked like the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix, with a bit of confusion among the drivers, with Bottas diving into the inside of Norris to overtake.

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who was also on the track during the exhibition, provided a little commentary up close.

Ferrari and drain cover: an inappropriate combination

Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

The practice session ended early when the Ferrari driver collided with a loose drain cover.

If that scenario sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happened before. During the first practice session ahead of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last November, Carlos Sainz Jr. hit a loose manhole cover, causing significant damage to the floor of his SF-23 and halting FP1. Ta.

Then it was Charles Leclerc’s turn in Bahrain on Thursday. He made contact with a loose culvert cover, ultimately leading to an early end to the first practice session of the day.

Complicating matters, Sainz actually discovered the cover was loose and tried to inform the sheriff. “I was actually standing in front of the drain cover when it came out because I had been on the course to see it.” He said F1TV. “That’s what I was looking at. [thinking] “Yellow flag, yellow flag, yellow flag, someone’s gonna take it!” Boom, a teammate came and took it.

“So in a way I felt like I could have avoided it. The reason I was one lap late was because I went to talk to the marshals and just as I was talking to him he said, ‘Yellow light…’ I feel a little responsible because I was told to do so.”

It was still a very strong day for Ferrari, and when Leclerc spoke to Will Buxton during the afternoon session, the driver was in good spirits. But the team is probably a little tired of seeing drain covers come loose at this point.

More ominous signs from Red Bull?

With just under three hours left in the afternoon session, Red Bull fans saw something they didn’t want to see.

Sergio Perez slowly staggered back to the pit lane.

replay on F1TV Perez could be seen easing off the throttle as the RB20 wound around Turns 10 and 11, but the power unit certainly didn’t sound right.

Perez did not stay in the garage for long and quickly returned to the track.

And I put his RB20 in the top five.

But Mr. Perez wasn’t done yet. Later in the session, he took to Track 1 with his new C3 set and recorded a great lap, finishing second behind Sainz. Although still only the second-best time of the day, Perez set a time on a harder set of tires than Sainz.

Perhaps more chills will spread to the rest of the field.

We know what’s at stake for Perez this season. The veteran driver is one of 13 drivers whose contracts are set to expire after the season. Perez’s Red Bull future was called into question last season, especially after his failure to advance RB19 into Q3 midway through the season. That has led to countless conversations about whether Red Bull will move on from him, and with many drivers vying for his seat, Perez is under enormous pressure to deliver results this season.

He seemed still awake Thursday.

Perhaps an ominous sign for the rest of the field, and any driver hoping to slip into that seat.

VCARB and Daniel Ricardo are cooking

Speaking of one of the drivers of the Red Bull Group…

Daniel Ricciardo might be cooking.

He got the RB01 into the top 10 with a C3 set late in the afternoon session, but then the team bolted on a C4 set to try some “glory runs” on him. result? Ricardo put up a few boards and moved into fifth place. This effort was still more than a second off the lap times Sainz recorded in a series of C4s, but more importantly, Sainz looked comfortable throughout the lap, and the car seemed to respond as well. That’s what happened.

Again, the usual “this is just a test” caveat applies…but Ricardo and VCARB may be cooking. Last season, Aston Martin was hired as a surprise package in this area.

This year it might be VCARB.

Thursday is also part of Haas’ plans.

Haas duo Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished at the back of the pack yesterday as the team concentrated on long distance running. reason? Tire deterioration was a big problem for Haas before the season. For many race weekends, the VF-23 showed incredible one-lap pace in qualifying, but on Sunday tires wore out and it fell behind.

Focusing on long distance runs as a way to solve that problem made sense for Haas to start the season, but fans will continue to wonder Thursday if that was the plan. Once again, the Haas duo ended the day in last place, with Magnussen in 15th and Hulkenberg in 16th. The only driver who took part in Thursday’s test and finished behind them was Yuki Tsunoda. He set his best lap time on a C2 set, a harder compound than the C3 used by the Haas pair.

Haas’ new team principal, Ayao Komatsu, predicted in a pre-season Q&A that he would be at the back of the team when the year begins. “Coming out of the gate in Bahrain, as I said, we still think we will be at the back of the grid, if not the back of the grid. We spent a lot of time talking to the managers on both sides and they’re excited because it’s an opportunity for improvement and there’s room for improvement everywhere,” Komatsu commented. beginning of the month.

“The reason our launch spec cars aren’t fast enough in Bahrain is not because of the quality of the staff we have here, it’s because we started late and then spent two months doing the Austin upgrades. Because it stopped,” the Haas boss added. “It was a real waste of resources and we lost time there, but the team is doing well in the wind tunnel so that’s positive and we’re moving in the right direction in terms of properties. I’m here.”

Komatsu also outlined what the team will focus on during preseason testing.

“The focus is to have a good test program in Bahrain so that the team can leave testing with quality data to analyze and understand the direction in which to develop the car,” Haas said. the team representative said. “This means understanding exactly the strengths and weaknesses of the VF-24 and having a consistent plan for updating the car, something that hasn’t been possible before.”

Near the end of the afternoon session, Komatsu said in an interview with Lawrence Barrett: F1TV Race pace and tire degradation remained their focus on Thursday. “So far, we have been 100% focused on long-term performance,” Komatsu said. “So far, what we’re seeing is encouraging…it’s been a really positive experience.”

“We’re positive, but still cautious,” was the conclusion from Komatsu and Barrett.

So it appears Thursday was also part of Haas’ plans.