Ferrari fastest but Red Bull look ominous in preseason testing

Ferrari fastest but Red Bull look ominous in preseason testing،

BAHRAIN — Carlos Sainz put Ferrari in the lead on the second day of Formula One testing, but there is still consensus in the paddock that world champions Red Bull are a step ahead of everyone.

The key question is to what extent and Thursday failed to provide a clear answer, with one day of testing remaining before the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.

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The way Max Verstappen and his team started testing on Wednesday created an ominous feeling on the opening day, but Sainz ensured Ferrari took the lead on the second day.

Sainz's best effort, a time of 1:29.921, came while the sun was still shining early in the afternoon and was comfortably faster than Verstappen's leading effort on Wednesday.

But, as is always the case, the preseason is about more than just screen time.

Verstappen's teammate Perez failed to produce a similar lap on Thursday, but the overall pace of the team's car in all conditions continued to impress rival engineers throughout the paddock.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella put it simply.

“There is a car that seems to have taken a big step,” Stella said Thursday evening.

“Unfortunately [it’s] the car that was already the fastest last year.”

Red Bull won 21 of 22 races last year and there is a growing feeling that they could be just as dominant in 2024.

Stella predicted the chasing pack, which includes her team McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin, could be much tighter than in 2023.

Comparisons between different lap times and different times of day make the order of competition a complicated puzzle to decipher, but one thing is clear: Ferrari's drivers believe their car is better to drive than the 'last year.

In 2023, they had a car fast enough over a lap to take pole position seven times, but only took one Grand Prix victory.

Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc, who drove in the morning, suggested the team's new car might be less erratic than its predecessor.

“In terms of handling, the car is much better than last year,” Leclerc said.

“But last year, after testing, it was very, very difficult to move in one direction, because we just didn't know what the car was doing.

“We were going into a corner and we didn't know if we would have extreme oversteer or extreme understeer. Which was a big problem.”

“This year the car is not like that, which is a better starting point. However, my first feeling is that Red Bull unfortunately remains quite ahead. They have achieved very impressive lap times.”

Leclerc's session ended prematurely after driving over a loose drain cover, prompting a red flag and a long stop before the lunch break while that part of the circuit was repaired.

This incident prompted Ferrari to change the floor of its car but fortunately did not have a major impact on the rest of the team's day.

The feeling of Red Bull's advantage is found in many people.

Friday is likely to provide a good understanding of the true competitive order ahead of the first race of the year.