Alonso finished the F1 test on a good foot and led Leclerc and Ferrari on the final day

Finished. This Friday is the only three days of preseason testing of Formula 1 that teams and drivers need to prepare for the 2024 season. At the next roar of the F1 engine is going to the track in the first free practice of the course next Thursday at Bahrain, where the first race of the year will be held on Saturday, March 2. Until then, or on Friday in qualifying, many things will be said and there will be a thousand conclusions, many of them the opposite, but the only truth will be dictated by time in the first Grand Prix. And after three days of testing where the teams once again showed their tremendous ability not to show their cards, it is very difficult to draw conclusions.

This Friday, the last day of testing F1 he led her again Ferrari. It was Thursday Carlos Sainz. And this time it is Charles Leclerc because it was run in the afternoon, in better track conditions. there, Charles set a 1’30″322 with soft tires (C4, which will not be used in the first GP), a time not exceeding the best time of the three days set by Sainz the previous day, a 1′ 29.” 921.

Leclerc set his time early and eventually, in the final minutes of the test, George Russell (Mercedes) was 46 thousandths behind with the same tyres, in better track conditions. He did the same Zhou Guanyu with Sauber (Stake F1 Team)climbed to an unrealistic third position (at 0″325). This only proves how unrepresentative and important the final classification of tests is. You have to dig deep to find some answers in the vast sea of ​​doubts.

Final classification of F1 2024 test

Alonso, the positive test is over

Fernando Alonso He said this Friday that this year it will be difficult to surprise. Normal, because the base was good last year and the leap in quality they could make was less in a very even grid, finishing the polesitter and the 18th classified in 6 tenths in the last ‘qualy’ last year . The Asturian made it clear that it is very difficult to know where each team is. I have only one certainty: Red Bull is in front and Verstappen will be a champion. “There are 19 drivers who already know that they will not be champion this year”He said.

The purpose of Aston Martin must stay in the fight in a very tight chase zone. After the tests, it seems like that Red Bull and Ferrari They are standing and then Aston Martin can come, McLaren, Mercedes and a very good one Visa Cash App RB (formerly AlphaTauri) with a car that many in the paddock believe Red Bull dlast year. No one knows the order of this group because it seems so strict. They all said they took steps forward and faced the first The uncertainty of the GP course is highest in this area. And it doesn’t end there: the order of that part of the grid can vary throughout the year as each team brings in new pieces. crazy

But more than the words of Fernando Alonso, there are facts. And on the last afternoon of the exam, they say that the Aston Martin of Fernando He is strong in racing speed. The Spaniard ran well with the medium C3 tires (which will be soft for the first GP) in the 1’37” medium. There, he can be compared on the same rubber, the same lap and the same time to the McLaren of Piastre and the rhythm of Aston Martin It’s better than the one in the orange car. But no one knows the fuel charges, the engine map and the work program, elements where many tenths can be hidden in this sport. And his subsequent long run with the hardest tire (C1) was also encouraging: fast and consistent, very solid.

Where is Aston Martin on the grid? The first race will tell, and the development of the car during the year, something important, too. For now, Alonso He finished with the 8th best time over a lap, but it wasn’t representative. The Asturian did not stay long in the end and focused on something more important: riding the tires that will be used in the first GP of the year to add data and more data. What is really important for Aston Martin is that its reliability is immense, without problems or failures. The time trial will dictate the sentence in Bahrain and set the course to be followed in the course. There seems to be maximum parity in a grid group where the fight for the podium, 5th place and being left in Q3 could be just a few tenths away.

Verstappen brought out the hammer but the Ferrari was too strong

If one thing seems clear, it is that in front of everyone there is red bull, along with the three-time champion Verstappen defending the crown and his companion ‘Checo’ Pérez, and Ferrariwith the exciting SF24.

The mystery is total. Reason says Red Bull should sweep its Dutch wizard once again in the first race of the year. “Red Bull is the favorite“said Sainz despite his excellent run on Thursday. “I feel like Red Bull is still ahead”Leclerc said. But in F1, the statements of the stars always have a purpose. If Ferrari is really superior to Red Bull, they won’t recognize it in tests and wait to talk on the track. Even Mercedes swept F1, they even say that the Ferrari is better after the sweep. In F1 you shouldn’t believe anything.

From there, many doubts arose. Verstappen was very strong in terms of speed this Friday with his long runs at 1’37” and 1’36”. But Carlos Sainz’s incredibly long run on Thursday with Ferrari continued to be in doubt, as the Spaniard consistently hit 1’35” with the hardest tire for 20 laps. The key is in the load of fuel, which we do not know. No one believes that this huge difference is real. Again, it is not known on a chess board where every move made in the trials of all the teams is made in a hidden way, in playing of hiding place.

Ferrari assurance

The only certainty at this point is that Ferrari has corrected its biggest weakness with the 2023 car: now its car is predictable, it does not give unexpected fear to its drivers, it is easier to manage, easier to drive and obedient. An excellent basis from which to develop. And best of all, it no longer sags on long runs and is indistinguishable in terms of its performance on the tires. Its performance is consistent. So rest assured that Ferrari has improved a lot. In fact, Sainz’s long run was 1.5 seconds better than his 2023 race in Bahrain. And 6 tenths faster than Red Bull’s 2023 pace in the same event. But again, we don’t know the race schedule. work and fuel. It’s a great car, but to get to Red Bull, common sense says it’s complicated.

In fact, Alex Albon He made a powerful prediction in this regard: “Max Verstappen will have a 25-second advantage in Bahrain and will pit late in the race to set the fastest lap and break the record”. Everyone still thinks he will win Verstappen. You only have to wait a week to know the truth. Welcome to the 2024 F1 season. Enjoy.