The F1 drivers and team officials speak after Day 1 in Bahrain Test, as they reflect on how their day panned out collecting as much data from running.
The power cut eventually did not affect the running as much on Day 1 of Bahrain pre-season test as the drivers got full running due to the extension by the FIA. Additionally, they were helped by no red flags or yellow flags, in a smooth show by all involved, which included no reliability problems as well.
There were couple of spins for Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Visa Cash App RB’s Isack Hadjar, along with few off moments, but largely it was clean. It was positive all-round from the F1 drivers and team bosses about how their panned out, which was led by McLaren’s Lando Norris from Mercedes’ George Russell.
Reigning champion Red Bull’s Max Verstappen slotted in third as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly made it six drivers from six different teams in the Top 6. The timings, though, doesn’t mean whole lot as yet considering the focus is more on getting a good baseline for the future.
Lando Norris: “It’s nice to be back in the car! A big shout-out to the team for getting everything ready and prepared for today. It was a good, fun day on track, and we progressed through a lot of the tests that we wanted to do. I’m looking forward to pushing the car a bit more over the next couple of days.”
Oscar Piastri: “So, the first day in the MCL39 is done. Thank you to everyone in the team for getting us ready for today. It was a productive morning for me, as we tried quite a few different things and it was really nice to be back on track. We still have many more areas to cover in the coming days to keep putting the car through its paces and to see how it works, but overall, a solid day.”
Max Verstappen: “From the driving I did today everything felt good. Only good surprises which was good. We don’t know pace yet but everything is working well and the car is doing what I want it to do. It is all in control and that is what we can hope for really to start of my testing. We are constantly learning and trying different things and will continue to do so. It is not about hitting the perfect lap but it is about working on our testing programme and learning what direction we need to push the car forwards to get it under control.”
Liam Lawson: “I had so much fun out there today and it was so good to finally drive the new car properly and do some laps. It feels okay but obviously it is very early days, so it’s very much about learning at the moment. For me, there is a lot more to come because I need to learn a lot moving teams but from a Team side we are just trying to learn about the new car, and optimise these testing days. We had a plan of test items, and we managed to go through the whole plan, which is always good. We go into tomorrow with a lot more running and a better idea of where to improve the car. It’s hard to tell where we are in terms of pace but the car feels good to drive and comfortable. Testing is just as important to me, as it is for the Team to learn about the car. It’s crucial to maximise these days before Melbourne.”
Charles Leclerc: “It feels good to be back on track. The whole team put a lot of effort into the SF-25 project over the winter break, so it’s exciting to finally get down to work with it. It’s always a positive to have a smooth session without anything unexpected happening in terms of your run plan, although of course, it’s still too early to come to any conclusions about our performance. We’re going to analyse our data from today and make use of what we learn tonight when we start work again tomorrow.”
Lewis Hamilton: “Testing is always exciting. It’s the first time you get to see what everyone has been developing and can start to get a feel for your own car and the year ahead. Being here with Scuderia Ferrari HP and in the SF-25 for the first time is an incredible feeling. Our focus right now is on experimenting with different things, gathering as much data as possible and getting familiar with the car, and we’ve already learned a lot. It’s too early to really understand performance, but everything feels good and as a team we’re working on the best way to optimise each run. There’s more to do over the next few days to get through our programme and understand the car to the best of our ability, but right now I’m looking forward to getting out there again tomorrow.”
Carlos Sainz: “Overall, it was a positive first day for the team, especially given some of the track stoppages we had with the blackout. We managed to complete the run plan, and we got in a lot of laps which is always the main target of the first day. First impressions are positive but obviously between now and the next couple of days, we’ll try to improve the balance of the car in both short and long runs.”
Alexander Albon: “It was an okay day today. We still have a few things to work on, but our base car feels pretty sensible. This is what Testing’s about, trying to understand the systems and whether there are things we need to address. We’ve made a few changes to the car which is positive. As a team, we’ve had a couple of opportunities to run the car already this year so that’s a good thing – but as drivers, we always wish we had more time. All in all though, it was good to get out there!”
Pierre Gasly: “It’s been a solid day’s work even if our afternoon was a little interrupted with the red flag. It was good that the session was extended and we could complete our programme without missing out on any track time. The car felt good right away and I am pleased with the initial feeling at the wheel. Everything worked as expected and we began to explore different set-ups which gives us some direction for the rest of the week. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the work in the morning and targeting another productive day alongside Jack.”
Jack Doohan: “After Monday’s shakedown, it’s really good to be on track again and having a full morning’s running in the A525. I enjoyed being in the car and really having a good feel for everything across various set-ups and compounds. A massive thank you to the whole team at Enstone and Viry for their work over the winter and having the car ready and prepared for this test. I’ll be supporting the team and watching closely in the morning before I am back in the car tomorrow afternoon looking to continue working through the programme.”
Yuki Tsunoda: “A good day during which we gathered lots of data. The main focus on the first day was to understand the car’s characteristics and its behaviour. The car mostly worked as we had expected which is positive. Of course there were a few bits and bobs we need to look at, but that’s what pre-season testing is all about. There were no major issues, so well done to the team for what was clearly a good job during the off season. I’m looking forward to the next two days.”
Isack Hadjar: “It was fun! We got through our programme and I felt comfortable in the car. Of course, this is just the start so there is plenty to do, I would say particularly on the short runs. For a first official test day for me, I think it went fine and I adapted quickly, so I’d say it was a good first day.”
Nico Hulkenberg: “We had a solid and productive first day today, and it’s overall nice to be finally back on track. It was an important first day with the car: we started with a solid baseline and put in some good laps throughout all morning, going through the programme we had set for ourselves. Between the two sessions, we gathered a useful amount of data about how the car behaves, which the team will be working on overnight. Now, it’s about learning more over the next few days, making the most of our track time.”
Gabriel Bortoleto: “My first official day with the C45 has been quite an interesting experience. We focused on some aero runs throughout the session, testing different aspects and getting some useful mileage. Towards the end, we had some fresh sets of tyres to push a little and have some fun. Overall, I’m quite happy with what we achieved today. After the first day, there is always a lot to learn and improve. It’s just the beginning, and I am eager to be back in the car tomorrow.”
Esteban Ocon: “It was a very solid day, and on both mine and Ollie’s side there’s been a lot of learning that happened today as it’s the first time we’ve experienced the car in good condition. It’s been a good day as we completed the run program. We’ve focused on longer-run performance – that was clear – and it was very interesting. We’ve got a lot of data gathered, and I go again tomorrow morning.”
Oliver Bearman: “That’s day one in Bahrain completed and I’m very happy to be back with the team and back in the car. It’s my first time on track in Bahrain and it’s a new beast in Formula 1, so it’s very nice. We got through the entire run plan as we wanted to, and the results were as expected – as we’ve been learning about the car and its characteristics. I’m now looking forward to testing the limits over the next two days.”
Andrea Stella: “A productive first day for the MCL39 in official testing. The team and drivers did a good job to work through a busy run plan, and we end the day with much more information. Oscar focused largely on aero tests this morning and we then developed on our base set up with Lando this afternoon, making further changes. Conditions today were cooler than normal and also windy, which created some challenges around the track for everyone. Nevertheless, thanks to the efforts of the team at track and back in the UK, we have gathered a lot of important data we can build on tomorrow.”
Pierre Wache: “Today was a good working day with both drivers. With Liam in the morning, we tried to make some set-up changes to see how the car reacted to it and then in the afternoon when we changed to Max, we continued the programme with a different set-up change to see how we can understand the car for the next couple of days of Testing. We used two compounds, the C2 and C3, for both drivers, mainly to be able to do a consistent run and not focussed on extracting the most of the lap time but to understand how the car reacts.”
Dave Robson: “It’s always good to finally get a new car to the track and begin to understand how the performance and personality of the car compares to expectation. We have worked hard during the FW47 development period to resolve the weaknesses of last year’s car and to ensure that FW47 is competitive in a broad range of conditions. Carlos’ feedback from driving last year’s car in Abu Dhabi confirmed that we were focused on the right areas but only today could we begin the process of understanding whether that focus has been rewarded. Conditions were cool and gusty all day, and whilst not necessarily representative of how the weather will be when we return here for the Grand Prix next month, they are quite useful conditions in which to push the car and to explore its consistency. The car ran reliably all day allowing both drivers to get some valuable experience in the it. Based on their experience today, and using the data we collected from over 700km of smooth running, we will plan the final two days of pre-season testing. Carlos will continue in the car tomorrow before Alex takes over for the final day on Friday. There is inevitably a lot of work left to be done in a short space of time, however, we have had a good start and are in a position to push the car harder over the next two days.”
Alan Permane: “A solid start for our VCARB 02. Our day ran pretty much to plan, with both drivers completing over 400 kilometres. They were generally happy, although of course it’s very early days and we had to contend with some testing conditions today – a very cold track and it was also quite windy. There were no dramas and we completed our planned programme so we are all set to tackle the remaining two days.”
Ayao Komatsu: “It was largely a good day, we completed our entire program, did what we needed to do and found a couple of answers we needed as well. Both drivers had a very good day getting in lots of laps. We’ve had a lot of change in race team personnel, but I felt communication and teamwork across the team was very good. So, a positive start to pre-season testing from us.”
Here’s how Bahrain Test Day 1 panned out
Here’s Bahrain Test line-up
Here’s FIA WMSC approvals
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