The first day of free practice in Bahrain has come to an end e we are in front therefore arrived on the eve of the first qualifying of the season. Which means only one thing: it's time to hit the track at Fanta F1! Perhaps it will be for the long wait, or for the first gauntlet thrown at Red Bull byAston Martin and the uncertainty still navigating Ferrari e Mercedes. But the atmosphere in Sakhir has already become hot, and finally after various simulations, including tests and free practice, we will be able to see the true potential of the new single-seaters. Let's see which ones pilots to deploy on the track and which predictions to choose for the first one race of the season.
Red Bull in front, Aston Martin ready to impress
Compared to last season we would have expected a quieter start, but this has not been the case. If up front Red Bull in the tests seemed to be the only one able to lay down the law, today, the protagonist, especially in the second session – was Fernando Alonso's AMR23. Ferrari is in the position that Red Bull occupied last year at the start of the season, or maybe even still a little behind. Especially with Sainz, who, unlike the tests today, struggled more than the Monegasque, Charles Leclerc. In addition to having to reveal its potential on the engine front, the Maranello team still needs to understand how to balance the SF-23. There is only one practice session left before qualifying and it will be necessary to test with both compounds and find the right balance for the rest of the weekend.
Mercedes among the three appears more in difficulty. But the real surprise is another single-seater fitted with the three-pointed star engine: Aston Martin. The team also recovered Lance Stroll from wrist surgery. The results of the green immediately seemed unreal. But the data continues to be positive, especially on the race pace, and the feeling is that something is still being held just related to this.
Who to deploy?
In the middle of the group, considering Aston fighting for the top 3, Alpine seems to be a candidate as first "of the others", together with Haas who with Hulkenberg conquered the highest desirable place in the second practice session: the fifth. McLaren gives more doubts than certainties, while Alfa Romeo seems to have a good pace. Considering that we are still at the beginning and that we could see different values in these first races on different tracks for Bahrain we would not bet on AlphaTauri, much less up However, Williams remains the candidate for the last place bonus with Logan Sargeant.
Our top 5 for this GP, starting from a base of 100 Masi are: Verstappen, Alonso, Bottas, Stroll, Sargeant
Forecasts at Fanta F1
Well, we made the team and now we need to think about the forecasts. Bahrain is a tricky stage that puts drivers and cars to the test, especially in terms of reliability. Red Bull remembers this with 3 cars retired out of 4. There is no risk of rain at the moment, as much as possible gusts of wind and sand. The Safety Car and the Virtual could come into play. On the other hand, the risk of a red flag is less high. If last year we were skeptical about a one-two, this year with a Red Bull that already appears in better shape than the others, a similar scenario could return. But FP3 is still missing and we can't give up Ferrari. Taking all these things into account we made these predictions for the first race in Bahrain.
Safety Car: YES
Virtual Safety Car: YES
Red Flag: NO
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: DO NOT
Team double in the race: DO NOT
Driver who starts on pole wins the race: SI
Stables to bring both riders into the top 10: 4
Drivers forced to retire: 2
Everyone would like to start this season in the best possible way, but everything is still at stake. Reminding you that rankings still don't matter in the YawClub Community Club, take this race as your first approach to the gym after having been on the run for months. In short, go slowly, to get the body used to it again.
