It's only a matter of days before we hear the vocals from David Croft as he shouts "ITS LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO". Since the chequered flag was waving at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there have been different driver line-ups, new team principles oh, and a pre-season test so why not take a look at how all the teams faired up after 3 days of testing.
Oracle Red Bull Racing:
Undoubtedly the strong favourites to win both titles this season, pre-season testing couldn't have gone any better for the Austrian outfit with Max Verstappen hopping on board the RB19 and flying straight out of the box completing 157 laps on day 1 of testing and the reliability of the car has been very trouble-free. The team completed 413 laps during the entire 3 days and it's safe to say it is optimistic happiness at Red Bull. Checo on the other hand took some time to adapt to the new car but he built up confidence and looked comfortable in the car reaffirming the opinion that Red Bull are strong favourites for the upcoming season.
Scuderia Ferrari:
All changes at the Scuderia, a new team principle, a new head of strategy but it's hard to say whether it is going to be a closer battle with Red Bull compared to where they were last year, it looks as if they have tried to combat Red Bull's straight-line speed by sacrificing some performance through the corners and traction at times during the 3-day test seemed to be a hindrance and long-run pace was seeming less impressive compared to Red Bull but as everyone has been saying, it's only testing. Some issues started to appear again for Ferrari, the bouncing looked to have remained from last year and even the tyre deg looked to be a real issue again as it was the second half of the 2022 season.
Mercedes AMG Petronas:
Mercedes had an average 3-day of testing, they got through their testing programs on day 1 but with about an hour and a half left of the 2nd day of testing George Russell stopped on track with a hydraulic problem. The car does also have some issues with the balance of the car, especially on the rear which looks poor with the drivers potentially lacking confidence when putting the power down but compared to last year the W14 looks to have taken a massive step forward as all the bouncing that they suffered from seems to have gone from the car.
Alpine:
A new driver line-up for the French team and it was important to have a strong test which it kind of was, the rear of the car looked a bit of a handful for the pit crew but that was quickly addressed for the final day of testing but the main problem that the car had was it looked too stiff but with a few upgrades or setup changes that can change within a heartbeat. The main aim for the team was to get a good baseline setup for when they go racing this coming weekend and also to get the recruit Pierre Gasly comfortable with his new team.
McLaren:
The last thing McLaren needed was a repeat of last year's 3-day test, and reliability problems while having to do constant running repairs with bodywork damage and loose wheel brows. With the lack of performance and missed targets, it could be a hard start to the 2023 season for the Woking base team.
Even with Lando Norris at the wheel, the MCL60 never really looked like it was going to regain the 4th place in the constructor's championship and if anything with their rivals seemingly making progress, the question should now be where are McLaren in the pecking order?
Alfa Romeo:
Looking to build on from 6th place in the 2022 standings, and other than some Ferrari power-unit issues, testing in Bahrain went smoothly for the Swiss team. The new car has managed to iron out some of the flaws of the 2022 car by improving the fast-corner instability that plagued the car. The only hope for Alfa Romeo this season is if they can be more consistent throughout the season, instead of starting well and then falling away throughout the season.
Aston Martin:
Another team with a new line-up but arguably the team that is most likely going to compete for the "Best Of The Rest" award. Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich took over the car while Lance Stroll recovers and to say that this was his first taste of F1 machinery, he never put a foot wrong even when the car failed on him. Fernando Alonso was the eye-catching driver from the sessions, a new team for the Spaniard, and the car looked like it was doing what he was asking of it. Aston Martin is the team that everyone should fear to lead the midfield pack and be the closest challenger to breaking into the traditional top 3.
Haas:
Experience is the key to getting up the grid according to the Haas hierarchy so bringing back Nico Hulkenberg to replace Mick Schumacher. Just like most teams, it was a relatively smooth and problem-free test. Mileage was important for the Hulk given he hasn't driven an F1 car in anger for a year and hasn't done an entire season since 2019. The only issue that the American team faced was a throttle issue but it wasn't anything major.
Alpha Tauri:
Alpha Tauri was the team that collect the most miles during the pre-season test with both drivers having found a good baseline for the car, which is always a bonus as it means that there shouldn't be any adjustments needed early in the season. The one thing to watch out for at Alpha Tauri is who is going to be the team leader. You'd think Tsunoda given it's his third season with the team but with Nyck De Vries's experience in other Formula, it will be an exciting watch to see who comes out on top.
Williams Racing:
Just like most teams, Williams had a solid pre-season completing the second-most laps of any team (behind Alpha Tauri) without any major car issues other than a problem with the car's electrical system. The car looks to have taken a step forward from last year's car as driver Alex Albon told the media. It was also Williams best pre-season test for some years from what some of the figures on the team were indicating.
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