Aston Martin delivered its biggest surprise during F1 pre-season testing a year ago. Aston Martin started the year on a high note, with the AMR23 dominating the grid and helping Fernando Alonso to the podium in each of the first three races of the season.
Will Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (VCARB) have a surprise package for the RB01 this year?
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda expressed some optimism as the three-day pre-season test drew to a close, and with good reason. Ricciardo was at the top of the timesheets for the first two days, and it was Tsunoda who made the big jump on Friday. Finished in 5th place. While standard testing precautions apply, both drivers believe the team has made significant progress over last year.
“The test went pretty smoothly. We weren’t following our runs exactly. [program] There were some issues with the track, but we responded well to them,” Tsunoda said in the team’s post-test media report. “I feel like the car has made a lot of progress compared to last year, so I’m satisfied with it so far.The balance has improved, and I felt it had more power, especially at the front.
“We still need to find improvements at the rear, but we are moving in the right direction. We have done a number of laps in the last few days and it was a good experience where we were able to collect good data and find the limits of the car. Looking at the timesheets we’re not last but it’s hard to know where we are compared to other teams so we’re looking forward to starting racing again next week.”
Ricciardo, who made a shocking return to the grid last season, is expected to be a big focus this season. drive to survive Making his debut Friday, he certainly believes this year’s Challenger is a big improvement from last season.
“I think the test went well and we’ve definitely developed the car since last year. We’ve completed a lot of laps and feel pretty fit. Unfortunately, there are drainage issues on the track We were worried that the race wouldn’t be possible, but luckily we were able to do it. We did some short runs on the first and second day, and did a race simulation this morning. “I did,” Ricardo said.
“In terms of performance, I think we have reached where we expected. Our aim is to compete in the midfield group, so we will try to make the most of what we have gained. Overall Overall, it was a smooth test, so I don’t think I will leave here with any concerns,” he added. “We made some gains and we knew where we were. But we certainly need to find a little more if we want to fight consistently for Q3 and points.”
It was a positive three days for Alain Permanet, who joined VCARB as the new Sporting Director after many years with Alpine, underlined by the confidence from the team that will challenge in 2024.
“It was definitely a positive three days for us. The car has been very reliable throughout the week and we have collected a huge amount of data. We have focused on quality testing and We took the time to make some setup changes and understand the car,” Permane said. “Today I combined it with some long runs and ran the full distance of the race with Daniel and it went perfectly. I will analyze the data I collected over the next few days and learn from it and look forward to the race in Bahrain. I hope to utilize this knowledge not only for the weekend, but also for future races.”
The team struggled a year ago, earning just two points (two of Tsunoda’s 10th-place finishes) in the first 10 races of the year. At that time, the team made the decision to fire rookie Nick de Vries midway through the season and replace him with Ricciardo.
We start this year with two veteran drivers who are looking to not only achieve good results for 2023, but also build on the solid three days of work in Bahrain.
“It was a great moment to see the Visa Cash App RB team officially take to the track for the first time. It was a pleasure to work with them on the racetrack. Of course, we have a long road ahead of us to build and develop the team to the level of competitiveness we aim for,” said new team principal Laurent. Mekies said. “But we got off to a positive start this week in Bahrain and had a solid performance.” [program] That will be the key to his growth during the season. There is no doubt that Race 1 will be upon us soon and there is certainly a lot of work to do to prepare for the level we are aiming for.
“Finally, I would like to thank Daniel, Yuki and everyone at the factory for their hard work and great spirit so far. I can’t wait to get back next week and start racing!”
That race will start in a few days.
