Team rankings and test analysis: where are Alonso and Sainz?

he formula 1 world cup 2023 from next weekend bahrainthe same track with just 3 days of rehearsal before the course, some pre-season testing F1 2023 Everyone kept their cards. Everything could change at the first race of the year, so it’s hard to draw any exact conclusions, but testing left us with some first impressions and what the start of this track will be like. I was able to draw the first outline of what

Williams

It’s an improvement over last year, but I still like to start with the red lanterns. The team ended the year with the resignations of boss Jost Capito and technical director François-Xavier Domaison. With no replacements yet and a provisional replacement, Williams was not expected to pull off a surprise.

McLaren, disappointment

His goal was to lead the middle zone and fight to finish 4th in the championship. What was already surprising from the presentation was that his car lacked great aerodynamic innovations and was much more conservative in design. And on the track they were disappointed in the test. There were some issues that limited our testing, such as brake cooling. It was the team that rolled the least (311 turns, the most being AlphaTauri’s 456) and did not show a good rhythm. Additionally, team member remarks were not encouraging. There are disappointing faces within the group that we hope will improve with a major new package scheduled for the fourth round of the year. It has been. he lacks speed According to Will Buxton, Lando Norris finished the test angrily, hitting the wall of the box out of anger and frustration.

AlphaTauri, fighting in the middle zone

AlphaTauri seemed to start with less certainty than the other teams in the middle zone, especially due to their performance in the slow corners. And his financial situation doesn’t help, as it’s been speculated that Red Bull’s new management may be thinking of selling the team due to the team’s poor numbers. The group recorded the most laps in all tests (456).

hearth, solid

The Haas team put in solid testing, but their car appears to be lagging behind the Alfa Romeo and won’t start as strong as last year. The parity between Haas, AlphaTauri and McLaren seems to be very large. “It won’t be as easy as last year. I don’t know if this is the beginning or the end of the middle zone,” said Team USA boss Guenther Steiner. There is room for improvement and the drivers never complained about how the car behaved, but they were consistent on long runs.

Alfa Romeo step forward

Alfa Romeo, with a more aggressively designed car this season, has looked very good from the start in pre-season testing. The only issue was the reliability of Bottas’ power unit on the final day. Other than that, the car looked good on track with no major issues and the drivers were happy with how the car behaved. They seem to have stepped up. Last year they started strong but were diluted by a lack of evolution.

alpine hide

Alpine was the worst team in lap times on the last day of testing, but as they say, lap times in pre-season testing matter little and teams can hide a lot. The most shameless case may be that of the French. They were passed by Aston Martin in midfield but their long run has been very good and they are looking to start from 5th. The driver concentrated on a fuel-intensive long-run program in modest engine mode. They should be much better than they showed.

Mercedes, lots of homework

Mercedes are not at the same level as Red Bull, but start the season on a much better basis than last year.In 2022 they started with more problems and a worse car, reaching the front position at the end of the season. Considering that, it’s clear that we can get there much earlier this year. Mercedes are by no means ruled out at the end of the season, but they initially start behind Red Bull and Ferrari, with Wolff believing Aston he Martin ahead.

In testing, it was difficult to find the correct configuration for a car that looked nervous, lacked grip and was difficult to decipher. But be careful. Wolff has already warned that they are in hiding and does not rule out the possibility of being able to contest everything this year, highlighting the improvements the team will introduce to the car in the first part of the campaign. A new package with sidepods similar to the Red Bull is said to be included soon.

Aston Martin, big surprise

Undoubtedly, Aston Martin has been a big surprise in Formula 1 pre-season testing, with many agreeing to position it as a third force. Many specialized media outlets have given him the option of taking his third place on the podium at the first race of the year. Aston Martin is the team that changed the most cars compared to last year. They got the concept wrong for 2022, so the first car, built by Dan Farrows, former second-in-second to Adrian Newey at Red Bull, has “95%” of its parts new. The former engineer could have been key by flying alone, and Red Bull had that in mind from the start. In fact, according to Auto Motor Und Sport, “Mercedes engineers believe that Aston and Martin show similar cornering characteristics to Red Bull.”

Adrian Newey said it would probably be for the best, with Toto Wolff saying at the end of the test that Aston Martin might take ‘second position’ from the start.The car is very stable. And it was an easy time without breaking a sweat. The team ran the test program with lots of fuel, stayed constant and focused on comparing data rather than lap times. And they’ve caused terror in a great race simulation that’s the closest thing Red Bull has to a tire degrading much better than a Ferrari. I can’t.

They are the favorites to lead in the middle zone and could challenge Mercedes and Ferrari for the podium in the first race. ‘Qualifying’ could be the worst part for Aston Martin as they could be overtaken by Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes there is. They need to come back with a better race pace on Sunday. That could be a great podium option for him while he awaits an evolutionary career for a great team.

Ferrari and its deterioration

They started 2022 with a dominant car, but lost the development race to Red Bull and ended the year with a lot of homework. Degradation was high, engine reliability was low, air resistance was high on the straight (low top speed). They tried to perfect the concept of the same car and managed to improve the reliability of the engine, so more power is expected. His top speed is increased, which is a step forward. The other side of the coin, however, was the significant deterioration of the wheels in the long run. They don’t look like they can fight Red Bull from the start and will have to look back, the Ferrari SF23 being over a lap faster than him and having to fall behind Red Bull in the first qualifying of the year. Mercedes and Aston could sink on race pace against his Martin on Sunday. But Italians are not so worried. Ferrari have yet to find the right setting to achieve the perfect balance. After looking at the data at the factory, we need to see if they can face their first date and fix some of the ailments.

red bull crash

Red Bull are the clear favorites in every aspect of the 2023 Formula World Cup. We have already made it clear that it is already an important warning. They improved the winning car and in testing it was the best of all. One lap, less racing rhythm, less tire wear. It looks like they are extending their lead in the lead. Of course, that may be the clear strategy. His 1st place in the Manufacturers and the penalty he received for exceeding the 2021 spending limit means less wind tunnel time this year. For this reason, while waiting for their rivals to approach them throughout the course, they may have chosen to take a big starting step to get a good cushion of points.