Overall performance after F1 Bahrain GP: gaps between teams and who improved the most

Max Verstappen secured the first race win of the 2024 Formula 1 season, dominating in Bahrain just like the previous year. In 2023, the Dutchman finished the race 38 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso, with a lap advantage exceeding 7 tenths. This year, the gap was reduced to 25 seconds from Carlos Sainz, who trailed just over 4 tenths behind the three-time world champion. Numerous variables played a role, including Red Bull’s strategic race management and challenges faced by rivals. Carlos Sainz had to battle other cars in the first stint, preventing him from showcasing his true pace, while Charles Leclerc faced the widely discussed brake issue, likely costing him a potential second position.

Mercedes also lost time due to overheating issues with the Power Unit. The data analysis of the Bahrain GP left many questions about the overall performance of drivers and cars, with answers expected in Jeddah and subsequent races.

Data Analysis, Bahrain GP: Haas Improves by Nearly Three Seconds, Red Bull Has Six Tenths on Rivals

Compared to twelve months ago, the use of the ‘new’ Pirelli tires introduced at Silverstone contributed to an approximately four-tenths improvement in car performance per lap. Notably, Haas showed the most significant improvement, nearly three seconds faster, reflecting the team’s pre-season testing efforts. Other improved teams include Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Red Bull’s improvement allowed them to maintain dominance, at least during the first weekend of the season, with a performance reminiscent of the last year and a half.

Jeddah, where Ferrari and McLaren are expected to make strides based on this weekend’s performance, will provide an opportunity to see the cars from a different perspective.

Discussing lap times, the race can be divided into two parts: in the first two stints, Max Verstappen pushed hard, evident from minimal tire degradation. In the last twenty laps, the Dutchman slightly extended his lead over his teammate and Carlos Sainz after setting the fastest lap. In the first two stints, Max’s lead was half a second over his teammate, six tenths over Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, nine tenths over George Russell and Mercedes, and a full second over Lando Norris’ McLaren. These numbers are intimidating for competitors and confirm a trend consistent with the beginning of 2023, with Red Bull and Verstappen in excellent form.

However, unlike 2023, the trailing teams have adopted a path that provides a more stable foundation, enabling easier car development throughout the season. Ferrari’s significant loss in the middle sector, where Charls Leclerc had outperformed Red Bull’s RB20 number 1 on Friday, is surprising. On the other hand, Mercedes struggles in the technical section of the track, while McLaren matches Ferrari in the second sector due to a higher downforce setup but lags in the first and third sectors due to excessive drag.

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Only Sauber gained ground compared to Red Bull between Qualifying and the Race, showcasing the RB20’s dominance with a full fuel load. Throughout the 57 laps, with tire management in the final stint, the time gaps decrease: Perez +0.385s, Sainz +0.449s, Hamilton +0.759s, Norris +0.813s, followed by a few tenths separating Aston Martin from the chasing trio. Like the tests, the AMR24 struggled with a full fuel load, demonstrating one of the cars that loses the most from Qualifying to the Race compared to Red Bull. This is a reversal of the trend from the beginning of last year when Fernando Alonso often showed better race pace than Max Verstappen on Sundays. The most significant surprise is Nico Hulkenberg, whose pace is only a few thousandths slower than Alonso’s, and considering the incident at the first turn, the German would have fought for points, much to the satisfaction of the new Haas Team Principal, who confirmed that the team doesn’t have the best degradation, but at least in the midfield, they can fight for points.

In terms of Racing Bulls, Sauber, and Williams, they find themselves within a two-tenths range, about seven tenths from Aston Martin, with Alpine closing the lineup two seconds behind Red Bull. Despite an improvement of eight tenths compared to 2023, as indicated by the Bahrain GP data analysis, Alpine remains at the rear.

Data Analysis, Bahrain GP: Ferrari the Best in Pit Stops, Jeddah Will Provide More Answers

After several seasons of improvement, starting from a 2022 with highs and lows, Ferrari conceded only to Red Bull in pit stop averages last year, showing consistency and few mistakes. The new season started well for Ferrari at the pit stops, with the two fastest stops averaging 2.37 seconds in the four tire changes. Red Bull came second with an average of 2.57 seconds, followed by Racing Bulls and a noticeable gap. Stake Sauber had a solid start with Zhou, but two malfunctions during Bottas’s stops cost the Finn time. Haas is also making progress in this regard, while Alpine is a disappointment with three pit stops over three seconds.

The Bahrain Grand Prix provided initial insights on a unique track with long straights and low-speed corners, where Red Bull’s RB20 excels. The 4/6 tenths gap compared to the trailing teams will likely not be closed within a week, and probably not even in a few months. However, Jeddah could deliver different insights on a high-speed track where McLaren and Ferrari might perform better. This is especially true if Charles Leclerc’s SF24 has a clean weekend, as it had the potential to be within three tenths per lap of Max Verstappen in Bahrain, as explained by F1 expert Andrea Vergani for formu1a.uno.

Nonetheless, a more comprehensive picture of the new cars’ performance will be available from Friday, even though there is an awareness that beating Max Verstappen and Red Bull on the track will be an almost impossible challenge.