F1 2024 pre-season testing: The primary 2 days by the numbers

Simply at some point of pre-season testing stays forward of the 2024 Method 1 season. Earlier than that remaining day will get underway, all ten groups are pouring by means of the info from the primary 4 periods, seeking to study as a lot as they will about their 2024 challengers.

Right here at SB Nation, we’re doing the identical.

Let’s have a look at simply a few of what we’ve realized over the primary two days of F1 pre-season testing.

2,451

In F1, velocity is the secret.

Nonetheless, that’s not the total story in the case of pre-season testing. Certain, you wish to be quick. However you additionally wish to be dependable. The extra laps you’ll be able to put in, the extra assured you may be in your challenger heading into the upcoming marketing campaign.

Earlier than the third and remaining day of testing will get underway, 2,451 is the place we stand when it comes to the entire variety of laps run by the ten groups, mixed.

Right here is how these laps break down, by workforce and by day:

A couple of issues stand out.

First, as we’ve talked about already Haas used the primary two days of testing to deal with a flaw from final season: Tire degradation. New Crew Principal Ayao Komatsu addressed that focus once more on Thursday, following the second day of testing.

“Following on from yesterday, we continued our program on tire administration and high-fuel efficiency. Nico drove within the morning, and even with the disruption he had that made the session a bit shorter, I feel we obtained the fundamental reply we wished,” stated Komatsu within the workforce’s post-session media report. “We handed over to Kevin within the afternoon and he ran for 5 hours, and it was a fairly good session once more. We obtained a number of good information and affirmation on what we wished to run, so I’m fairly pleased with the final couple of days. Tomorrow, as a result of we’ve had two first rate days, we could change this system somewhat however I’m trying ahead to a different productive day of testing.”

Nonetheless, regardless of their emphasis on tire administration and longer runs … Pink Bull is true there subsequent to them.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum we discover Williams and McLaren. Williams was undone by a couple of totally different issues on Wednesday, as Alexander Albon handled a gas pump subject in the course of the morning session after which a driveshaft drawback reduce Logan Sargeant’s afternoon session brief. They rebounded with a greater day on Thursday, however they’re nonetheless on the backside of the desk.

As for McLaren, the workforce bumped into some “small points” in accordance with Lando Norris, which reduce down their lap totals in Thursday’s afternoon session.

We’ll wait to see if the lap numbers keep excessive on Friday, or groups shift their focus in direction of one-lap tempo.

1.493

As you nicely know, 2023 was a dominant season from Pink Bull. This was one thing we noticed coming this time a 12 months in the past, because the RB19 seemed to be the dominant bundle from the primary day of pre-season testing in Bahrain final February.

To that finish, it was Max Verstappen who topped the timing sheets on the primary day of pre-season testing a 12 months in the past, posting a time of 1:32.837.

In the event you have been hoping that Pink Bull had taken a step again with their growth of the RB20, you may be out of luck. Verstappen topped the timing sheets on Wednesday, with a time of 1:31.344.

Which is 1.493 seconds sooner than his time from a 12 months in the past.

After all, testing numbers at all times must be taken with a grain of salt, and Verstappen may have been operating a unique program this 12 months than he was final 12 months when he posted that point.

But when not…

1:29.921

This represents the time posted by Carlos Sainz Jr., because the Ferrari driver topped the timing sheets on Thursday.

Behind him have been Sergio Pérez with a time of 1:30.679 and Lewis Hamilton, with a time of 1:31.066.

Nonetheless, there are some things to bear in mind about this time. Sainz posted his lap on the C4 compound, whereas Hamilton and Pérez posted their instances on the more durable C3 compound. As Pirelli, the official tire provider to F1, famous of their personal post-session media report:

“Nonetheless, it’s price noting that, aside from the same old unknowns about gas hundreds on quickest laps, Sainz set his time on a set of C4 tyres, whereas Perez and Hamilton have been on the C3: the time distinction over a lap between these two compounds is reckoned to be round six tenths.”

Additionally, for these questioning: The C3 would be the softest compound accessible at subsequent weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli has designated these three compounds for the season-opening race:

So Sainz’s time, whereas spectacular, must be taken with a grain of salt. Like all the things throughout pre-season testing.

5

Yet one more notice on what we noticed from Sainz, Hamilton, and Pérez on Thursday. Due to the sensible minds at F1-Tempo — this is not going to be the final time they get a shoutout from me this season — we will evaluate every of their quickest laps from at this time’s session:

Pérez’s lap is at midnight blue, Hamilton’s within the aqua, and Sainz’s within the crimson. As you’ll be able to see, Sainz carried out finest within the second and third sectors, Hamilton had his finest moments in plenty of the turns, and Pérez definitely fared nicely on the lengthy straight popping out of Flip 15, by means of the Begin/End line, and into Flip 1.

Given the RB19’s energy with DRS a 12 months in the past, it’s most likely not a shock to see that proceed with the RB20.

However be aware of the white dot on the above graph. At that time Pérez hit a high velocity of 320 kph.

Which was 5 kph sooner than Sainz’s high velocity of 315.

Ominous, certainly.

0.125

It has been stated earlier than, but it surely bears repeating.

What a distinction a 12 months makes for McLaren.

Popping out of pre-season testing a 12 months in the past, the indicators have been worrying for McLaren. There was already speak of the workforce needing an enormous improve bundle later within the spring, and as we all know they struggled within the early going. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri mixed for simply 17 factors over the primary eight races of the season, as and Norris advised me final April, they have been simply preventing for factors.

Their fortunes modified over the summer time when the upgrades to the MCL60 arrived, and by the 12 months’s finish they have been preventing for, and successful podiums.

However to place some numbers behind simply how a lot of a distinction there may be between final 12 months and Bahrain and this 12 months, think about 0.125.

Norris certified eleventh for the Bahrain Grand Prix with a lap time of 1:31.381.

His finest time on Thursday? 1:31.256.

0.125 seconds won’t appear to be a lot, however given the doubtless distinction in gas hundreds between qualifying final 12 months and the second day of pre-season testing this 12 months, it’s a ton.

To drive the purpose residence think about this from F1-Tempo, exhibiting Norris’ finest lap from day two of testing final 12 months, and day two of testing this 12 months:

His finest lap again in 2023 on day two of testing? 1:35.522, over 4 seconds slower than this 12 months’s finest time. Evaluating the 2 you’ll be able to see that the MCL38 (in orange) was a lot better over nearly the whole monitor than the MCL60 (in silver).

What a distinction a 12 months makes, certainly.