Topic: Formula 1 2024 season

[duvva 💅]

If money makes all this just go away, it will be an utter disgrace.

That’s what money is for if you’re rich

[Persephone]

Slimey prick. Such a bad look for RB with him at the launch, making out his innocence. The innocent don't make offers for silence.

RB are a bit of a disaster with Marko the racist, Jos the abuser and now Horner the creep.

[jillcwhomever]

RB are a bit of a disaster with Marko the racist, Jos the abuser and now Horner the creep.

There is a bit of a power struggle going on as well and frankly I wouldn't trust any of them to speak the truth on anything.

[Persephone]

There is a bit of a power struggle going on as well and frankly I wouldn't trust any of them to speak the truth on anything.

Celebrity death match and the winner gets to stay at RBR.

[jillcwhomever]

Celebrity death match and the winner gets to stay at RBR.

A booby prize if ever there was one.

[Graeme]

It's Pre-season testing week!

Here's what the Day 1 timesheet looked like last year to compare with....

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

That’s the McLaren today at Bahrain. Quite different from the “launch” car

[Qston]

That’s the McLaren today at Bahrain. Quite different from the “launch” car

It does. It looks like it is driverless

[voodoo ray]

always happens, but to be fair I do think it was just a livery launch not a car launch

[CornerFlag]

I do think them cutting back testing to 3 days is a bit daft.  They don't need unlimited tests like they used to have, but three days doesn't seem like long enough preparation for a whole season.

[paulrazor]

yeah I liked in season testing too

[CornerFlag]

yeah I liked in season testing too

Same.  Maybe there's a way to use the summer break to add testing but only use the young drivers and base the amount of testing on current championship positions.

1st & 2nd in standings: 6 sessions (3 mornings, 3 afternoons)
3rd & 4th: 7 sessions
5th & 6th: 8 sessions
7th & 8th: 9 sessions
9th & below: 10 sessions

The factory freeze is over 14 days and the summer break is 28 so it's workable.  No doubt the costs would be a barrier though.

[Graeme]

I’ve never understood the desire to punish successful teams? Is there another sport where this happens? There’s already a cost cap to level the playing field. It’s like saying Liverpool are top of the league so we can only train twice a week instead of 5 times. Its up to failing teams to improve, you don’t punish the best achievers.

[Romford_Red]

More than that, I don't understand limiting testing.

I mean if one team has stolen a march on the rest of the field at the start of the season, how on earth can the pack even hope to close that gap without testing? Surely the cost cap would prevent rich teams being able to test more than the others. So why the limit on testing?

[voodoo ray]

I’ve never understood the desire to punish successful teams? Is there another sport where this happens?

have a look at pro sports in the US.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

First pic of the Williams at Bahrain



Got the side mirror "wings"

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

It’s the most optimistic time in the F1 year, day one of testing.

Looks like Newey has been cooking like a mad man

[Funky_Gibbons]

It'll be just like Newey to get the Mercedes concept of the last couple of years to actually work.

[voodoo ray]

I don't think it does look like the merc did.

[Funky_Gibbons]

I don't think it does look like the merc did.

Many of the experts who've looked at it have said the execution is different but the concept is the same. There's even talk the current concept can be modified to a zero sidepod in the future. 

Edit - just seen this;

But if, and it’s a big if, this is the RB20 that hits the track in Bahrain on Wednesday as pre-season testing begins, Collins is interested to see whether Red Bull have potentially fallen for the same data that misled Mercedes for two years.

“If they do rock up with that car, then it’s a brave, brave move because they could have easily continued to develop the car they had. That would have been, I think, the safer bet,” she said.

“The worry is, and we obviously know Adrian Newey and the Red Bull team are very, very good, strong aerodynamic designers, they have proven that year after year, but Mercedes obviously felt it could work when they put that on the first car.

[voodoo ray]

We'll see.

Anyway it probably surprised more than a few people that they didn't just carry on with the same look as last year.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

Verstappen already under last year's FP1 top time.

Should be noted, the RB wasn't great earlier on the harder compound.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m31.662s, C3 - 102 laps
Norris, McLaren, 1m32.484s, C3 - 23 laps
Sainz, Ferrari, 1m32.584s, C3 - 37 laps
Stroll, Aston Martin, 1m33.074s, C3 - 13 laps
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m33.247s, C3 - 64 laps
Ricciardo, RB, 1m33.325s, C3 - 16 laps
Alonso, Aston Martin, 1m33.385s, C3 - 77 laps
Piastri, McLaren, 1m33.658s, C3 - 57 laps
Zhou, Sauber, 1m33.871s, C3 - 19 laps
Russell, Mercedes, 1m34.109s, C3 - 70 laps
Tsunoda, RB, 1m34.136s, C3 - 64 laps
Bottas, Sauber, 1m34.431s, C3 - 68 laps
Albon, Williams, 1m34.587s, C3 - 40 laps
Ocon, Alpine, 1m34.677s, C2 - 60 laps
Sargeant, Williams, 1m35.438s, C3 - 16 laps
Magnussen, Haas, 1m35.692s, C3 - 66 laps
Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m37.038s, C3 - 35 laps
Gasly, Alpine, 1m37.809s, C2 - 25 laps

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

8 tenths 

Not looking good

[Persephone]

8 tenths 

Not looking good

The only bit of intrigue will be how long before Check implodes. 2026 can't come soon enough.

[clinical]

Ugh. Another boring season ahead. All eggs in the Checo basket. A driver that's not very good in a team that have a clear no.1 and no.2 driver. A car that is designed around their no.1 driver's driving style. It's over. Teams like Ferrari and Mercedes can't even spend to catch up. The cost cap whilst has been good for smaller teams has been terrible for the big teams.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

Verstappen has improved by another 3 tenths.

To be fair, no other teams are looking to put in ego laps

[Redley]

Two more days but that looks depressingly ominous considering its the first race in a week.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

Need to see Red Bull do more C2 and C1 runs. They mostly ran the C3 today, which will be the softest compound for the actual race weekend. When they did run the harder compounds they did not look as good.

[clinical]

Need to see Red Bull do more C2 and C1 runs. They mostly ran the C3 today, which will be the softest compound for the actual race weekend. When they did run the harder compounds they did not look as good.

Best engine, best car, and one of the two best drivers on the grid in a team that focuses on one driver. It's over haha.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

Best engine, best car, and one of the two best drivers on the grid in a team that focuses on one driver. It's over haha.

And they know it



 

[Qston]

All the usual "it's only testing" aside, it does look like RB are going to be well ahead yet again. Newey is a friggin magician.

[Romford_Red]

And they know it



 

Science YO!

[IgorBobbins]

Ugh.  See you guys in 2026.

(I know I’ll still watch)

[TepidT2O]

Ugh.  See you guys in 2026.

(I know I’ll still watch)

Not sure how much I will.  There’s not even rivalry in the team. It’s soooo dull.

[Persephone]

Not sure how much I will.  There’s not even rivalry in the team. It’s soooo dull.

I'll flit in and out, but there is little point in actually watching a full race which is generally just a procession.

[clinical]

All the usual "it's only testing" aside, it does look like RB are going to be well ahead yet again. Newey is a friggin magician.

The sooner he leaves the sport the better imo. He's just too good. Even when Merc were winning RB arguably had a car just as good. Was all about the engine.

[Qston]

The sooner he leaves the sport the better imo. He's just too good. Even when Merc were winning RB arguably had a car just as good. Was all about the engine.

For entertainment purposes then yes, but F1 is the cutting edge of design and technology and you have to doff your cap to the fella - not least because he sits there with a pencil and sketches it out. To take the gamble they have, and it seemingly having paid off, is brave. Just a pity the team principal and lead driver are such pricks !

[paulrazor]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/live-text/f1-bahrain-pre-season-test-day-2-1121311/1121311/

live commentary

Sky sports are showing but it is like watching paint dry

delay this morning due to kerb issues and a loose drain cover

[Funky_Gibbons]

Sainz, Ferrari, 1m30.686s, C4 - 19 laps
Norris, McLaren, 1m31.622s, C3 - 21 laps
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m31.750s, C3 - 54 laps
Stroll, Aston Martin, 1m32.029s, C3 - 26 laps
Bottas, Sauber, 1m32.227s, C3 - 30 laps
Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m32.273s, C3 - 81 laps
Piastri, McLaren, 1m32.328s, C3 - 35 laps
Sargeant, Williams, 1m32.578s, C4 - 58 laps
Perez, Red Bull, 1m32.879s, C3 - 79 laps
Alonso, Aston Martin - 1m33.053s, C3 - 35 laps
Zhou, Sauber, 1m33.715s, C3 - 38 laps
Gasly, Alpine, 1m33.804s, C3 - 33 laps
Ricciardo, RB, 1m34.026s, C3 - 34 laps
Ocon, Alpine, 1m36.353s, C1 - 32 laps
Magnussen, Haas, 1m36.611s, C3 - 32 laps
Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m37.509s, C3 - 31 laps
Tsunoda, RB, 1m38.074s, C3 - 40 laps

Sainz 1s faster than Verstappen yesterday.