Mercedes and the F1 paddock are harboring suspicions about Red Bull and Ferrari following the second day of testing.
After just two days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Red Bull and Ferrari are already being considered the frontrunners for the 2024 F1 season. Meanwhile, Mercedes and others are hinting that they may be trailing behind their rivals when the season begins in March.
Historically, pre-season lap times have been considered unreliable indicators for the upcoming season due to the numerous variables and experimentation teams undertake. However, on Wednesday, Max Verstappen’s pace was notably impressive, coming in 1.14 seconds quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris in second place, with Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Ferrari just behind in third.
On Thursday, the three-time world champion did not return to the Bahrain International Circuit, while Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, trailed Sainz by 0.75 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton in third.
Afterwards, Hamilton’s teammate at the Silver Arrows, George Russell, was straightforward in his assessment, acknowledging that the Constructors’ champions were clearly faster. “Red Bull are the favorites and definitely a step ahead of everyone else. That was to be expected.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc agrees that Red Bull is currently leading the pack, but Sky Germany reports that the F1 paddock views Ferrari as the closest competitor to Christian Horner’s team. Mercedes engineers estimate the gap between the top two teams to be one second, while Williams personnel believe it is half that. Early signs indicate that if anyone can challenge Verstappen’s dominance this season, it will likely be Leclerc or Sainz from Ferrari.
