Box ‘screened off,’ preventing any curious glances, and a slow back-and-forth of professionals. In the Sakhir paddock, technicians are busy setting up the second single-seater. Amid the hospitality, there’s some talk about the golf match in which around thirty delegations representing teams, FIA, Liberty, and even individual drivers participated. The focus is primarily on developments related to the Christian Horner affair.
With less than forty-eight hours until the start of on-track activities, the test analyses are complete, and the anticipation is mainly linked to the gap that will separate the favorite Red Bull from its rivals, especially Ferrari.
“After covering the distance of over seven Grand Prix weekends in testing,” commented Frederic Vasseur, “it’s finally time to show our cards. Starting from Thursday in free practice, we will see the true strengths on the field and understand the real impact of the work done by us and our opponents. Charles and Carlos have confirmed that they are comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-24, and this was exactly the goal we set when we started designing the car.” – the French manager pointed out.
“We will face very strong and determined rivals,” continued the team principal of the Scuderia, “and I want to see the same approach from us that we had at the end of last season. We should not be afraid to dare if we believe that a specific choice can make a difference for our performance. The car seems competitive, Charles and Carlos have shown excellent form, and I see the whole team very focused: we are determined to achieve a good result.” – he continued.
James Allison’s statements at the end of the tests, where he judged Mercedes faster than Ferrari, sparked discussions. Toto Wolff, on the other hand, chose a cautious approach. “Our goal during the tests was to understand the car as best as possible,” he explained, “now our attention can focus on tuning the performance for the race weekend. As expected, Red Bull seems to be leading the standings. The chasing group seems close-knit. Soon we will have an idea of our position in this context.”
At Red Bull, despite the very positive outcomes from the tests, the atmosphere remains tense. The most crucial verdict since the team took shape in the winter of 2004 is approaching. The announcement that will clarify Christian Horner’s fate is expected tomorrow, when the paddock will be complete for the first ‘media day’ of the season. Sports director Jonathan Wheatley, present today in the paddock, could be called to take over the operational helm of the team in a less than ideal atmosphere.
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