F1 pre-season testing 2023: Who was the fastest and who recorded the most laps at Bahrain’s 2024 pre-season test?

After a busy three days of action at the Bahrain International Circuit, F1 pre-season testing has come to a close. Before the cars return to the track for the first race of the campaign next week, let’s take a closer look at how each team performed with their new challengers…

Haas

Total Laps – 441

Fastest Lap – 1m 31.686s (Nico Hulkenberg)

Despite often finding themselves in the bottom half of the timesheets on each day in Bahrain, Haas amassed the highest mileage of any team. While the squad have stated that they don’t expect to have made great gains in the pecking order entering into 2024, their main focus has been on addressing the tyre degradation issues that they faced in the previous year.

Ferrari

Total Laps – 416

Fastest Lap – 1m 29.921s (Carlos Sainz)

Ferrari seemed to be in a good place during the pre-season test – the team not only recorded the second-highest lap count but also ended the second and third days of action on top, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc leading the way respectively. Sainz’s time on Day 2 proved to be the fastest lap of the whole test, and the drivers both sounded cautiously optimistic about how the team had carried out their programme.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 on track

Red Bull

Total Laps – 391

Fastest Lap – 1m 30.679s (Sergio Perez)

It is perhaps unsurprising to see reigning world champions Red Bull nearer the higher end of the mileage charts. Despite a brief interruption caused by a brake fire and possible power issue on the second day, Sergio Perez still managed to set the squad’s fastest lap of the test with a time of 1m 30.679s. Max Verstappen also sounded a positive note after the end of the final day.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull

Kick Sauber

Total Laps – 379

Fastest Lap – 1m 30.647s (Zhou Guanyu)

There were some issues for Kick Sauber as the final day of testing got underway, with Valtteri Bottas’ running cut short due to a technical problem. Despite this, the team still managed to record a decent amount of laps, with Zhou Guanyu putting in 85 and even setting the third fastest time of the day.

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BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Valtteri Bottas of Finland driving the (77) Kick Sauber C44 Ferrari

Aston Martin

Total Laps – 379

Fastest Lap – 1m 31.159s (Fernando Alonso)

Aston Martin tied with Kick Sauber on a total of 379 laps. Their fastest lap came on the third and last day of testing courtesy of Fernando Alonso, as the team look to maintain more consistency in 2024 following their drop-off in form during the 2023 campaign.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR24

RB

Total Laps – 367

Fastest Lap – 1m 30.775s (Yuki Tsunoda)

RB caught the eye of many during the test, with the outfit ending each day within the top five as well as recording a healthy lap count. While the team are potentially expecting a slower start to the season following their upgrades at the end of 2023, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda have seemed in good spirits following their performance in Bahrain.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 on

Mercedes

Total Laps – 361

Fastest Lap – 1m 30.369s (George Russell)

The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have both spoken positively about the W15, with the car offering a sense of optimism after a difficult couple of seasons with its predecessors. Hamilton stated that the team had gained a “lot of learnings” during testing, something that could provide a “good foundation” to build on.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG

Alpine

Total Laps – 334

Fastest Lap – 1m 32.061s (Esteban Ocon)

Alpine held the third lowest lap count across the field during the three days of testing, while their fastest time was provided by Esteban Ocon on the second day of action. With the team opting for an entirely new concept in 2024, the squad are still learning about the car but both drivers praised its reliability during the test.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Alpine F1 A524 Renault on

McLaren

Total Laps – 328

Fastest Lap – 1m 31.030s (Oscar Piastri)

Unlike their difficult start to 2023, McLaren enjoyed a much stronger opening day of action in Bahrain this time around. There have been some hiccups during the days that followed, with Lando Norris losing time on Thursday due to a fuel system issue before then having his running on Friday cut short owing to a clutch problem. While there is work to do, the mood in the team looks to be positive.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38

Williams

Total Laps – 299

Fastest Lap – 1m 30.984s (Alex Albon)

Another team to encounter some issues were Williams. Having opted for a new direction with their 2024 car, the squad faced problems on Wednesday which curtailed their running. However, Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon recorded more laps as each got behind the wheel for a full day on Thursday and Friday respectively, with Albon setting their quickest time on the final day of action.