The first day of the three days of testing in Bahrain was very particular. However, he is always in charge, Max Verstappen who snatches the best performance of the day ahead of Fernando Alonso and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
Bahrain test: Max takes off
Red Bull was undoubtedly the best team of the day. The Milton Keynes team he finished in first place with both Verstappen in the morning session than in the afternoon. In fact, at Red Bull they preferred to grant this day to the two-time world champion, who certainly did not spare himself. Verstappen surprises not so much for the better performance (which in tests is a fairly relative factor considering the various fuel loads), but for the long run always very constant. If Red Bull already wanted to send a clear message to others, let's say it has already started.
Ferrari: lots of jumping! But there may be…
On the other hand, a very delicate situation at home Ferrari. Sainz, during the morning, flies to second place (also confirmed in the afternoon). In the second session, the Spaniard left the SF-23 to Charles Leclerc. It wasn't a fantastic start for the Monegasque: regardless of the fourth position conquered, at Ferrari a lot of work had to be done on the rear wing and on the underbody. A small check, which led the engineers to change the wing. However, the Maranello team was slightly frightened by the porposing, present during most of the session. There have been various trim changes, but Charles's SF-23 she seemed particularly nervous. Clearly, based on what we saw on the track, it's not the best start for Ferrari, but we are only at the tests.
Mercedes, first positive signs?
Who knows if Lewis' sixth position Hamilton can't be a positive signal from Mercedes. Russell, who rode in the morning, snatched ninth place in the general classification. The Brackley team engineers seem to be very calm, as does Toto Wolff who immediately let himself go at the press conference with: “We don't jump anymore".
Small problems not only for Ferrari
Difficulty in both sessions instead for Aston Martin, forced to stop first with Drugovich and then with Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion, following the problems he had on the bottom of his AMR23, managed to get on track in the second part of the afternoon session, snatching second position. Not bad also, in the general standings, the fourteenth place of Drugovich, which could replace the injured Stroll also in view of next week's GP. Problems also for McLaren despite Norris' fifth place: the Woking team had problems related to the cooling of the brakes, which did not allow the English rider to cover many kilometres.
Tomorrow we start again
With this ranking, the first day of testing ends. We are only on day 1: the various teams have used various set ups to understand 100% of their cars, so it is still very early to see their true values. Unmissable appointment tomorrow, always with the morning session (from 8.00-12.00) and with the afternoon session (13.00-17.30).
Test Bahrain, day 1: the final standings
