Summary of the pre-season trials: Reliability was there, well, almost
After three days of testing in Bahrain, let's look back at the first runs of 2023, characterized by reliability for most teams.
Even though these tests do not reflect reality and we will have to wait for the first Grand Prix to truly assess real performance, here is an overview of what we were able to observe during these three days.
The +
Aston Martin, the beautiful surprise. Although the team encountered some mechanical issues at the beginning, the AMR23 is ultimately built on a strong foundation. Fernando Alonso even joined the ranks of the fastest lap times by achieving the second best time on the first day. The Spaniard expressed his delight with his new car, particularly highlighting its excellent power steering.
Red Bull, fast and reliable. After a gearbox issue and a minor hydraulic breakdown quickly resolved, the Austrian team seems to once again outperform everyone, especially with a very strong race pace.
On the side of the teams at the bottom of the table, we are seeing some improvement. After a few quickly resolved problems, there is a notable improvement at Haas and AlphaTauri, which is encouraging. Williams, on the other hand, has shown great consistency with a car that appears stable. Logan Sargeant, who is very disciplined, even completed 154 laps, the record for the second day of testing.
The –
Unfortunately, McLaren is the team that has disappointed the most. Overheating brakes, persistent aerodynamic drag, lack of efficiency… all of this has been confirmed by the statements of Andrea Stella, the new team boss, who asserts that the aerodynamic development of the car is not good enough. The team will need time and is counting on its new wind tunnel, which should be ready around mid-season.
Reliability is not yet Alfa Romeo’s strong point, with Zhou experiencing gearbox issues on the first day and Bottas retiring from the race. However, it is worth noting a better rear balance and the performance of the Chinese driver, who achieved the fastest time in the last session.
At Mercedes, these tests took place with mixed results. The W14 performs better than the W13, notably with the almost complete disappearance of the “porpoising” phenomenon that plagued the German team last year. However, a hydraulic failure caused George Russell to lose over an hour of running time. If this kind of problem can be resolved quickly, the most worrying aspect are Toto Wolff’s words who stated that the car doesn’t provide enough rear grip.
The mixed ones
Finally, the assessment of Ferrari and Alpine remains mixed. On Ferrari’s side, the performance is there but tire wear, which often penalized them in 2022, needs to be improved. The team has focused on analyzing and improving race pace by testing, for example, a new rear wing and a new floor.
Alpine remained very timid, which doesn’t really leave much room to form an opinion, but the drivers themselves are delighted with their new single-seater.
