After one long hiatus, Formula 1 is finally back! Cars hit the track in Bahrain to kick off 2023 with some pre-season testing. While infamously lap times are to be disregarded, as many often sandbag or alter the setup to lower performance, Max Verstappen & Red Bull topped the day with a 1:32.837.
We finally got a look at the real cars for this season, as quite a few teams only showed off their dummy cars during the launch period, and there have been some innovative design choices so far.
Mercedes immediately stand out as they have chosen to continue the new regulations from 2022 with their 'zero-pod' design; reducing the size of the sidepods and thus reducing the need for large cooling louvres. But the question still stands, after their poor performance last year, whether the unique design is one to beat or if the Brackley based team have made a mistake pursuing their ambitions. There are rumors around the paddock that there is a backup plan for the team to implement later in the year, that could see the car take on a more wide setup, with sidepods similar to the rest of the field.
Mercedes have also made use of the new front wing regulations, after their 2022 setup prompted the alteration in the rulebook, by including some new winglets and connections between the flaps and sideplate. Albert Fabrega has been out with their keen eye for detail to capture these tiny design choices.
The silver arrows (albeit running a black livery this year) also had some interesting sensors running on the car during their session, that had a few heads turning as there were some clearly visible wires hanging around the cockpit and steering wheel. These have been cleared up to be linked to a very small accelerometer on the steering wheel that measures vibrations.
Ferrari have also been looking at modifying their front wing support struts between the flaps to extend them upwards and making them more angular to get some aero flow direction. The pieces are there primarily to hold the parts of the front wing together, but under the regulations, despite some re-wording, the design is entirely legal, and surprisingly they seem to be the only team utilising this setup - although now they have proven the legality, I expect more teams to follow suit in this area.
Ferrari were also showing some issues with their bodywork as where they've tried to save weight, seems to be causing some denting in the front nose of the car. It was shown that under high loads coming down the straights, the tip of the car dipped in; likely due to a very thin part of carbon fibre bodywork not having the support beneath it. Presumably this was done by the team to save on weight wherever possible, while still ensuring the integrity of the impact crumple zones. However, the team has confirmed that this dipping in the bodywork was not intentional, and will require a fix before the start of the race season next week.
Red Bull have shown off some interesting sidepods this year as well, with a very large undercut tunnel along the side of the car, directing airflow below and around the bodywork. Again, we're still too early into the running to say whether these changes will benefit the development of the car, but with the way things are going so far it looks promising.
Haas had some issues throughout the day, with part of their bodywork flying off as Hulkenberg was setting a fast lap, and a very stiff setup meant a lot of locking up from both drivers throughout the morning & afternoon sessions and seemingly tough to drive. Not looking promising for the American team, hopefully they can sort out their issues over the next couple days before the first race weekend next week.
They've also been able to utilise their extra wind tunnel time to narrow down the smaller intricacies, and in a similar fashion to Mercedes, they've interpreted the regulations in a way to develop a small winglet on the front wing. Teams are likely to follow suit and develop their front wings in similar ways, if the Haas and Mercedes' designs are deemed legal.
Aston Martin brought out an early red flag at the start of the morning session, with Felipe Drugovich's running brought to a halt after a failed sensor in the car. Thankfully for him and the team, the issue was resolved and the car was back out running. The team look to bring the fight further forward this season, taking the challenge to both Alpine and McLaren for P4 in the constructors.
"95 percent of the car is brand new" - Felipe Drugovich
Unfortunately the electrical issue wasn't the end of things for Aston Martin, as they suffered some floor damage middway through the afternoon session, leaving Fernando Alonso a limited stint out on track, as the team repaired the car. They were able to get it back out again and build up some track time before the day was over.
McLaren have had a somewhat problem-free first day. After their shakedown earlier in the week, filming some promo footage, went smoothly, they've been able to get out on track today and put some miles under the belt of both Piastri and Norris, getting crucial data for last minute development adjustments. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the papaya team, as they dealt with some cooling issues from the long distance running, trying out a temporary solution to maximise the track running while they've got it.
Whether it was sandbagging, the brake cooling issue, or if the car is just generally struggling this season, the lap times weren't a promising start for the McLaren team as both drivers struggled to get anywhere near the top half of the timing sheet, until the end of the afternoon session.
McLaren's constructor rival last year, Alpine, have been on full form today with both a reliable and quick car on track. In terms of development of the car this season, the French team have gone for a similar build to what Red Bull had in 2022; a fully-fleshed out sidepod with a slopped back half directing air down toward the back of the car. Both drivers seem to be enjoying themselves out on track behind the wheel of the A523
All in all it was an exciting start to the season for all the teams, very little drama and some serious development from teams. This season is sure starting to look like it'll be a brilliant build upon what the 2022 season was, as teams get to grips with these latest regulation changes.
Driver | Team | Lap Time | Gap | Laps |
Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:32.837 | | 157 |
Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32.866 | +0.029 | 60 |
Sainz | Ferrari | 1:33.253 | +0.416 | 72 |
Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.267 | +0.430 | 64 |
Norris | McLaren | 1:33.462 | +0.625 | 40 |
Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.508 | +0.671 | 83 |
Albon | Williams | 1:33.671 | +0.834 | 74 |
Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:33.723 | +0.886 | 67 |
Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.174 | +1.337 | 69 |
Sargeant | Williams | 1:34.324 | +1.487 | 75 |
Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:34.424 | +1.587 | 51 |
Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:34.558 | +1.721 | 71 |
De Vries | AlphaTauri | 1:34.559 | +1.722 | 85 |
Drugovich | Aston Martin | 1:34.564 | +1.834 | 40 |
Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:34.671 | +1.985 | 46 |
Gasly | Alpine | 1:34.822 | +2.034 | 60 |
Ocon | Alpine | 1:34.871 | +2.034 | 53 |
Piastri | McLaren | 1:34.888 | +2.051 | 52 |
Magnussen | Haas | 1:35.087 | +2.250 | 57 |
Comments