Published：2024/2/25 22:14 Updated：2024/2/26 02:57
Ahead of the 2024 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which marks the third year since the introduction of ground effect car regulations, Jolyon Palmer, a former F1 driver who now works as a columnist and commentator after retiring, predicts the team order. Ranked.
Palmer, who has been observing the Bahrain test from trackside since 2022, said on the official F1 channel that all teams have improved their performance this year, with more aggressive lines than usual seen entering Turns 4 and 11. He pointed out that
Jolyon Palmer examines and analyzes the collision between Hiroki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) that occurred at the F1 Mexican Grand Prix on October 29, 2023.
The improved competitiveness of the entire field also means that competition between teams will intensify. This makes it even more difficult to predict each team’s competitiveness.
Ahead of the first race, which will be held at the same Bahrain International Circuit as the test, below is a summary of Palmer’s predicted rankings for each team, along with his comments.
In Palmer’s view, the three teams in the first race are in a better position than they were in last year’s constructors’ championship: Ferrari, McLaren, and RB, led by Yuki Tsunoda.
10th place: Haas
Courtesy Of Haas
Nico Hulkenberg driving Haas “VF-24”, February 21, 2024, first day of F1 pre-season test Bahrain International Circuit (2)
My gut feeling is that Haas will be in last place at the start. The team principal was replaced by Reio Komatsu from Günter Steiner. As with all teams, there will be no changes to drivers.
They introduced a major upgrade in Austin last year that didn’t go well, which slowed down development and we think we’ll be late.
The car doesn’t look particularly lively. Hulkenberg has had great qualifying performances in Bahrain in the past, including last year. It would be amazing if we can do it again this year.
9th place: Sauber
Courtesy Of Sauber Motorsport AG
Valtteri Bottas driving a Sauber C44 heading to the track from the pit lane, 2nd day of F1 pre-season testing, February 22, 2024
9th place goes to Kick Sauber. It may seem a little harsh since the test was good. We were getting some laps in and the car looks really decent. The rear end is stable, but I’m not sure if there is any overall downforce.
They set the top times several times, especially towards the end of the third day. However, in testing they traditionally tend to run a little lighter on fuel.
The car looks good, but I think the whole field is moving forward. In other words, it is not enough to secure a good position.
8th place: Williams
Courtesy Of Williams
Alex Albon drives Williams FW46 at Bahrain International Circuit, F1 pre-season test, February 23, 2024
I think either Sauber or Williams could end up in any position.
Personally, I had high hopes for Williams, who delayed the shakedown. This is the first time James Vowles has had a full offseason, and there were high expectations and hopes for the team.
However, once I got on the course, I noticed some shortcomings. That’s what they were trying to eradicate.
Williams’ characteristic speed on the straights is still there. It has paid off at certain tracks such as Monza and Spa. I’m sure Alex Albon will be fighting for points again this year on courses like this.
However, the car is still quite sensitive to the wind and seems a little unstable. Rear end stability is the standard for a good car, but their car seems a little unstable. Logan Sargent suffered a spectacular spin on the second day of testing.
So Williams is in 8th place. I think they’re also a little disappointed with this week’s performance.
7th place: Alpine
Courtesy Of Alpine Racing
Alpine A534 driven by Esteban Ocon, 3rd day of F1 pre-season testing, February 23, 2024
Alpine is in 7th place. Alpine hasn’t really caught the attention this year in testing either. It’s hard to judge because he probably hasn’t done anything that would show much performance.
Both drivers racked up a lot of mileage by running fairly heavy cars over two days. The team has changed the concept of the car again and the design is moving towards the RB19, but the team says it needs some time.
I don’t think Alpine are doing enough moving forward. The best he can do is maintain 6th place. After all, many teams are becoming more competitive. I could be wrong though.
Everyone at Enstone knows how to build good cars (Alpine was Palmer’s team in F1), but I don’t think they’re in as good a position as they were this time last year.
6th place: RB
Courtesy Of Red Bull Content Pool
RB’s “VCARB 01” driven by Hiroki Tsunoda, February 21, 2024, F1 pre-season test first day Bahrain International Circuit
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are still the drivers, but things behind the scenes have changed completely. Peter Beyer joined the team, Laurent Mekies took over as team principal, and the team developed a closer relationship with Red Bull, acquiring Red Bull components.
I think I had a good offseason. Last year we made upgrades to the car throughout the season. I think the two drivers will be aiming for points from the start in a close midfield battle.
The rear end felt stable and the car looked good. Ricciardo had been running well from the first day, and Yuki Tsunoda was also setting good laps on soft tires. I feel more stable now, and I think I can move further into the top ranks.
5th place: Aston Martin
Courtesy Of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited
Fernando Alonso driving Aston Martin “AMR24”, February 21, 2024, F1 pre-season test first day Bahrain International Circuit
The group in front of the RB is really, really tight. I would like to place Aston Martin in 5th place, as it was a very honest test.
The traction was solid and the car looked good. I think Fernando Alonso was able to run the car exactly on the line he wanted.
The long run was also quite strong. This is something Fernando excels at. I think it will still be a strength this year, just like it was in Bahrain with the Lear Limited around this time last year.
What I don’t know is how well this year’s Aston will do in high-speed corners. There aren’t many here. So I think we’ve made good progress, but the true test will be on the faster course, which was a bit of a weakness for them.
4th place: Mercedes
Courtesy Of Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Top view of Mercedes “W15” driven by George Russell, Bahrain International Circuit, first day of F1 pre-season testing, February 21, 2024
There was a lot of talk about the Mercedes at launch, including a new front wing and the rearward movement of the cockpit that Lewis Hamilton has been asking for for 12 months, but there was an absolute improvement in terms of lap pace. I haven’t seen it.
As for the car, it seemed a little nervous for the first two days. Stability in mid-corners didn’t seem to be great. This is something they have been working on for the past two years.
There will definitely be downforce. I think there is plenty of room to improve the car. As a base, it’s much better than last year, but in terms of lap pace, I’m worried that we won’t be as competitive as our rivals to start the season.
That said, the drivers seem to be getting a good feel for their race pace. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are happy with the way things are going.
I think we are definitely in a much better position and I think this concept has room to develop throughout the season, but I don’t know if we will be able to do well enough in qualifying.
3rd place: McLaren
Courtesy Of Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Lando Norris driving McLaren “MCL38”, Bahrain International Circuit, first day of F1 pre-season test, February 21, 2024
In that respect, the opposite could be said for McLaren.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri got some mileage on the first day and the car looked very fast as soon as it hit the track. He didn’t wear softer compounds and he was really methodical and rigorous in his testing program.
McLaren is a team that made great strides during the season through development last year. Obviously, we are in a better position compared to last year in Bahrain. What they hope is that one of their drivers, who currently have no wins, will be in a position to win one Grand Prix this year. It might happen.
But my concern is that Oscar Piastri’s race run in the car this afternoon (day 3) was not perfect. There was a lot of degradation, which was an issue he had last year. My one-lap pace was good, but my race run wasn’t great.
And the problem is that Lando Norris didn’t do any race simulation. He stayed on 20 laps. He didn’t do a long run yesterday afternoon either. I’m a little worried about the reliability of the car. So McLaren has a question mark.
I think the qualifying pace is very good, but what about the race pace? Everyone knows how important that is.
2nd place: Ferrari
Courtesy Of Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Charles Leclerc driving Ferrari “SF-24”, Bahrain International Circuit, first day of F1 pre-season testing, February 21, 2024
Ferrari will probably take second place, pulling away from everyone else. It was a great test. It has the speed it showed at the end of last year as the fastest qualifying machine, and its one-lap pace still looks pretty good.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc set the fastest times on the second and third days. The tires he was wearing may attract attention (he installed C4 tires, which are one step softer than Red Bull), but the car seems much more stable than this time last year, and his race pace may be better. There is sex.
It has become possible to drive more stably through various yaw angles (*angles that indicate how much the car body is rotating in relation to the forward direction), is less susceptible to wind effects, and has increased downforce. The rear end is stable and the front end looks good too.
Will his qualifying pace and race base be enough to challenge Red Bull? I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think we’re in a better position than we were 12 months ago and I think we can have an optimistic outlook throughout the season.
1st place: Red Bull
Courtesy Of Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) laps the Bahrain International Circuit, 3rd day of F1 pre-season testing, February 23, 2024
First place is, of course, Red Bull. Considering last year’s margins, this shouldn’t be a big surprise, but the car could have gone either way.
When I saw how radical the design was in the new car announcement, did I do it? Have I gone too far? Or is it magic? It made me think.
The result looks like magic. Especially in the hands of Max Verstappen. The car looked set from day one and the rear end felt good.
The front end is really sharp, which Max likes, and Max actually seemed to feel more comfortable driving in the car than the Czech.
I think he will be the big favorite for next weekend’s race once again. But the season is long. It’s possible that everything will be a blur by summer.
2024-02-25 13:14:47
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