With barely days remaining for the F1 2023 season to get going, FormulaRapida.net has compiled the stats list from the three-day Bahrain test.
The F1 2023 season is now pretty much well upon us after the three day pre-season test in Bahrain ended last weekend. It has been a well-documented affair with fans seeing the new cars and several new drivers for the first time on TV and F1’s OTT platform.
After the three day test concluded, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez set the fastest time overall on the final day of running. Unsurprisingly, his teammate Max Verstappen was the quickest on Day 1. He almost did so on Day 2, but for a surprise from Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu in the Alfa Romeo to go fastest in the last few minutes of the running.
Verstappen with Aston Martin newbie Fernando Alonso would have made it a double 1-2 finish on Day 1 and Day 2 but for the late run from Guanyu. Even though it is just testing, it was a good omen for the Lawrence Stroll’s team who bounced back well after suffering a sensor issue out of the blocks on Day 1 on the car of Felipe Drugovich.
The Brazilian has a chance to make his F1 debut if the injured Lance Stroll doesn’t recover on time after injuring his hand and wrist while training in Barcelona. Amid the highs of Aston Martin and Red Bull, the Ferrari pair went by quietly with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. They didn’t set the screens ablaze and seem optimistic about their chances but they know the pace of Red Bull too.
They might be clear of Mercedes, though, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both indicating of the team needing more. They are away from bouncing which will allow them to work on performance more. They were not so lucky on Day 2 with George Russell after he suffered a hydraulic failure but otherwise they were reliable.
Apart from the strong show from Aston Martin, the other midfield runners like Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Haas and Alpine, went through their programme quietly along with Williams. No one apart from the Alfa Romeo pair of Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas showed any faster pace, with AlphaTauri and Haas chipping in with Nyck de Vries and Nico Hulkenberg.
In fact, the former as a team completed the most number of laps across the three days of running, with de Vries just behind Alonso in terms of most laps done. Overall, most teams were more or less happy with their lot. The big losers if any really have been McLaren who readily admitted they were not entirely happy with their car and completed the lowest number of laps overall.
Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were at the bottom pf the pile just ahead of Drugovich who had only two half days of running. Likewise, the performance of Alpine was somewhat low key despite their ambitions at the launch of their car. The French outfit didn’t face lot of troubles but seemingly spent checking extreme set-ups for the season ahead.
Here’s F1 team’s total lap count in descending order:
AlphaTauri – 456
Williams – 439
Ferrari – 417
Haas – 415
Red Bull – 413
Alfa Romeo – 402
Mercedes – 398
Aston Martin- 387
Alpine – 353
McLaren – 312
Here’s F1 drivers’ total lap count in descending order:
Fernando Alonso – 270
Nyck de Vries – 246
Logan Sargeant – 229
Lewis Hamilton – 220
Kevin Magnussen – 219
Carlos Sainz – 218
Alex Albon – 210
Yuki Tsunoda – 210
Sergio Perez – 209
Max Verstappen – 204
Valtteri Bottas – 202
Zhou Guanyu – 200
Charles Leclerc – 199
Nico Hulkenburg – 196
Esteban Ocon – 178
George Russell – 178
Pierre Gasly – 175
Oscar Piastri – 170
Lando Norris – 142
Felipe Drugovich – 117
F1 Power Unit manufacturers’ total lap count in descending order:
Mercedes (four teams) – 1536
Ferrari (three teams) – 1234
Honda RBPT (two teams) – 869
Renault (one team) – 353
Here’s the best times across the three days of running:
Here’s how Day 1 of Bahrain Test panned out
Here’s how Day 2 of Bahrain Test panned out
Here’s how Day 3 of Bahrain Test panned out
Here’s what drivers said after Day 1
Here’s what drivers said after Day 2
Here’s what drivers said after Day 3
