Verstappen terrifies on the first day of testing, with Alonso in good line
Max Verstappen met the expectations that the RB20 had raised during its presentation and dominated the first day of official testing in Bahrain, where he led both the time table (1:31.344) and the lap table (143). The three-time world champion gave his rivals no option throughout the eight hours of the day, while Fernando Alonso met the objectives set by Aston Martin, lapping more than anyone else during the morning session (77 laps).
Under the heat of the desert, with 35ºC from the first hour, the preseason started in Sakhir within premises very similar to those at the close of the last World Cup. The 10 teams mounted sensor grills on their cars in search of the first data and bathed their wings with paraffin for the relevant aerodynamic tests..
After the first half hour, Alonso stood out in the lead thanks to a lap (1:33.385) in which he lifted his foot at the end. Immediately, Verstappen took the lead from him, scratching three tenths, while Charles Leclerc made Ferrari's power felt (1:33.247). Mercedes, for its part, had to regret a problem in the hybrid system that kept George Russell inactive in the garage for two hours.
Ocon runway departure
With the C3 tires, Pirelli's softest compound, even Verstappen seemed to struggle with his car. The biggest scare would be Esteban Ocon, with a chilling exit from the track that fortunately did not cause him any damage.. As the clock advanced, the RB20 began to show its formidable stability in the long runs, with a marked dominance in the second sector, Shakir's most twisty.
Before the break, Alex Albon left his Williams stranded due to a breakdown in the fuel pump, the exception on a day marked by the reliability of the mechanics. Those accumulated kilometers were the best news for Aston Martin and Alonso, who in the afternoon gave way to Lance Stroll.
Ferrari also exchanged its drivers and Carlos Sainz was the first to hit the asphalt after lunch.. The Madrid native completed the job without major setbacks, with 69 laps (five more than Leclerc) and allowed himself a joy (1:32.584), which only made him give ground to Verstappen and Lando Norris, again the McLaren reference. Early in the morning, Oscar Piastri had barely been able to complete a few installation laps, the victim of some setback.
In any case, Adrian Newey's latest creation for Red Bull once again left the competition without a response. Not only because Verstappen used the soft compound to lead with just over a second over the rest (1:31.344), but also because of the race simulations with the hard rubber, where the Dutchman showed a terrifying regularity, always around 1: 36.3.
“After the winter break, the first laps always surprise you a little, but then you get back into the rhythm quickly. In general, the car has responded well and, considering that it was only a test, we had a good day,” said Mad Max, in statements distributed by his team.
Even far from the lead, Mercedes knew how to resolve Russell's incidents to consolidate itself as the other reference. The Y250 front wing designed by James Allison, a solution as spectacular as it is radical, attracted the attention of photographers as much as the RB20. Finally, Stroll polished Alonso's time, showing the potential of the AMR-24, with those side pontoons that so captivated the experts..
“Fernando was very happy”
“Everything went well and Fernando was very happy with how things turned out,” said Mike Krack, Aston Martin's main team, happy to have completed the work “even sooner than we thought and without problems.”. In fact, the record of the two-time world champion in four hours was only surpassed by Nico Hulkenberg, who completed 82 laps with the Haas, in search of that mileage that was so missing in 2023.
The second day of testing will be completed on Thursday, although with some new things behind the wheel. Among the most notable, Sergio Pérez will take the RB20 in the morning, while Lewis Hamilton will drive the W15 during the two sessions.