today, 21:19 | by Quinten Torfs
The excruciatingly long winter break is finally over now that the three-day tests in Bahrain have ended, and so many analysts are commenting on what they have seen in recent days. Jolyon Palmer led the way F1.com shined a light on the teams’ performance and findings, and predicted the ‘pecking order’ for 2024. ‘All the cars look much better than in previous years.’
“Of course Red Bull Racing is number one, given the margin they had over the competition last season,” Palmer said straight to the point. ‘When the RB20 was unveiled you could immediately see that they had gone in a radical direction. People wondered: is it a step too far or is it magic? Well, it looks like magic, especially in the hands of Max Verstappen. The rear looks good and the car has oversteer, which is what Max likes. He will feel more comfortable in the car than Checo (Sergio Pérez, ed.). He is therefore the big favorite to extend the winning streak.’
“Ferrari could well be in second place,” Palmer continued. ‘Their qualifying pace still looks good, just like last year, and the car is driving more reliably and consistently. The SF-24 will be less sensitive to wind and the downforce is good. They can be optimistic (in Maranello) about their chances in 2024.”
Behind Ferrari and Red Bull, Palmer predicts that the ratios will be closer, mainly in terms of the difference between Mercedes and McLaren. The analyst reveals the problems he believes both teams will face. “I didn’t see much progress from Mercedes in terms of one-lap speed. The W15 looks nervous and seems to have little stability in the middle of the corner. On the other hand, the race pace looks very good and they have a much better foundation than last year to build on.’
“The opposite could be true for McLaren,” Palmer said. ‘The car looked fast straight away and the team worked very methodically through their testing programme. McLaren could be in contention for a race win this year, but their race pace worries me. Norris did not do a race simulation due to a reliability problem. For me that is the big question mark with McLaren.’
Still, Palmer thinks that McLaren will stay ahead of the competition from Silverstone in 2024. ‘However, Aston Martin has had a very good test. Fernando Alonso looked more like last year’s Alonso here in Bahrain than the one who ended the season in Abu Dhabi. The new car looked good, as did the traction. They developed their new car well during the three days of testing and Fernando completed a very strong race simulation.’
The midfield and the rearguard
According to Palmer, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls will then lead the midfield. ‘The team has changed thoroughly behind the scenes. Peter Bayes and Laurent Mekies have been brought in. RB also works more closely with Red Bull and they can count on parts of their sister team. The team has had a good winter and both drivers want to score points straight away. This was a team that was at the back last year and struggling with itself, and has now found stability.” And who follows in sixth place? ‘Alpine has remained very much under the radar. The team changed the concept of their car and will need time to develop and transition to the RB19 design they wanted to follow.”
Before the start of the test sessions in Bahrain, Palmer had high expectations of Williams, which is on the rise under James Vowles, but adjusts. ‘They are still fast on the straights and will do well in Monza and Spa-Francorchamps, for example. But the entire field has moved up and so that won’t be enough.’ And so the British racing team has to compete with last season’s bottom line. ‘I put Stake Kick Sauber in ninth place, even though their car looks solid. Haas is at the back of the field. They have tempered expectations throughout the offseason and their major upgrades made in Austin last season have not worked, delaying their development. The car doesn’t look particularly lively either.’
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2024-02-24 20:19:00
#Palmer #predicts #pecking #order #RB20 #magic #Verstappens #hands #Maximum
