Attention: F1 shows the order of the teams after the tests according to its simulation and this is how Alonso and Sainz are on the grid

After three intense days of F1 preseason testing, it’s time to draw conclusions. Doing so was very complicated because of how hard all the teams tried to hide their true performance in a lap and the pace of the race before the first round of the season. Everyone is asking the same question: What is the real order of the teams for the grid and the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix race that will be held next week?

The championship’s official website provides its own answer this Saturday. F1 presents the order of the teams after the tests according to its simulation of pure performance in a qualifying turn and race speed based on its data and calculations after the many tests carried out by each team over three days of testing Formula 1 2024. And the result leaves some surprises.

F1 shows the grid order in qualifying:

In terms of a lap performance before what could happen in qualifying for the Bahrain GP, ​​it is not a surprise to anyone that F1 has reached the conclusion that Red Bull is the fastest and favorite for the pole. Of course, they consider that Ferrari is the main chaser, around two tenths behind the best times that Max Verstappen could set, a good reference to Red Bull’s lap ahead of his team-mate ‘Checo ‘ Perez.

And after the two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, the ‘Great Circus’ specialists calculate that McLaren, who finished with a very fast car late last year, will be the third team with the best speed in qualifying 0.”38 from Red Bull and 0″16 from Ferrari. That is, any mistake by a Red Bull driver can give the Ferrari driver options, but a few tenths lost in a turn by the red cars can give the orange cars a chance. Or put another way: the attitude and quality of the pilot can be the key to that tight fight.

Another important point confirmed by these simulations is the great equality that will exist on the grid, with a separation of just over a second between the polesitter and the 18th classified or 1.30 between Red Bull and the they consider the worst team within a lap : Haas.

Mercedes, with Hamilton and Russell at the wheel, placed as the 4th best team, half a second behind the best and Visa Cash APP RB (formerly AlphaTauri) overtook Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Lance Stroll’s one lap, which would be 6th. best car at 0″8, far from the lead, fighting to get into Q3.

But don’t panic. Things can change throughout the year and Aston Martin has created its car with the clear aim of climbing up the positions while the team brings new parts throughout the course with regular evolution. Alpine is behind at 1.03, tied with Sauber, with Williams close behind at 1.11 and Haas at the red lantern.

The real grid order in racing speed according to F1

But then, there is another important factor in trying to understand what final result will be seen on Saturday in the Bahrain GP race: race pace. Without going any further, last year, Alonso started 5th and 7th at the start of the race but having the 2nd best car in terms of speed he managed to climb back to the podium. It is important to understand what can happen after Friday’s qualification.

According to the ‘Great Circus’ calculations, F1 shows that Red Bull will also lead the grid order in race speed, but behind them Mercedes and Ferrari will be equal and closer to Red Bull than last year: just two tenths, with Mercedes narrowly beating Ferrari in the long run. There, F1 reckons McLaren will return to the race as the fourth best car and Aston Martin will overtake RB as joint 5th best, according to its simulations and data.

This simulation puts Alonso at a race pace 6 tenths worse than the leader, but only two tenths behind the McLaren and 4 of the cars that will be fighting for the podium.