2023 F1 Pre-Season Testing Concludes with Red Bull's Pérez on Top

Event: 2023 Pre-Season F1 testing
Track: Bahrain International Circuit

The final day of Formula 1 pre-season testing saw some interesting developments as the teams gear up for the start of the 2023 season. The morning session saw Felipe Drugovich of Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen as the first driver out on the track, followed closely by Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes and Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing, who was sporting aero rakes and a sensor strap at the rear of his car.

One notable result from the first two days of testing is the lap count, with Williams completing the most laps so far with 303. This is an encouraging sign for the team, especially considering they have a rookie driver, Logan Sargeant, on their team this year. Both drivers have given positive feedback about their car's performance, stating that it's already more on pace than last year.

On the other hand, Alpine has had a few issues over the past two days, including problems with their mirrors and struggles to jack up the car for practice pit stops.

Sergio Pérez driving the Red Bull RB19 during testing

The morning session saw the first red flag of the day when Perez left debris on the track, including a sensor strap and bits of carbon fiber. However, the track was quickly cleared and the action resumed.

There were also some interesting comments from drivers, including George Russell of Mercedes, who noted improvements in certain areas of the car's performance. Russell also pointed out that the early part of the season may not be as crucial as the later part, with only five races in the first two and a half to three months.

One driver who had a difficult morning session was Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who spun down at Turn 10. It was the first spin of testing, but Piastri managed to avoid crashing and was able to slot into third despite running on flat-spotted tires.

De Vries is proving to be a real asset for AlphaTauri, providing the team with both quality and quantity feedback about their car, as the team gears up for the 2023 Formula One season. The Dutch racer has been seen sporting rakes on his car during pre-season testing in Bahrain, and with the loss of Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri will be looking to step up with a rookie driver alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

Meanwhile, Haas is having a positive pre-season test with the very experienced Nico Hulkenberg, according to F1.com's Senior Writer Lawrence Barretto, who grilled Guenther Steiner on the team's best ever pre-season test. The vibe, however, is not as positive at McLaren, where the team is struggling with their wheel brows, which was structurally loose on the first day of testing. The team is was conducting some temporary strengthening work on the front winglets to ensure they could complete today's running.

Carlos Sainz driving the Ferrari SF-23 during testing

Charles Leclerc, who set the fastest lap of the day in the morning so far, is also having some issues with lock-ups, but is focused on gathering race simulation data for the upcoming race in Bahrain. The true pace and form of the Ferrari is the biggest head-scratcher from testing so far, with some in the paddock saying the team is sandbagging, while others say they are really struggling, especially with tyre wear.

F1 teams are gearing up for the start of the season after the conclusion of the third day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who won twice last season, is hoping for better luck this year as he aims to improve on his third-place finish in the championship. The Mexican driver has gained more experience with the RB19 car, which is an evolution rather than a revolution from last season. However, his teammate, Max Verstappen, is also gaining more experience with the car.

Meanwhile, Ferrari is sticking to its guns with chassis design rather than following the Red Bull model. The team is still playing around with set ups and may be masking some issues, according to reports. Mercedes has found a cure to the porpoising issues they had for much of last year, with the most striking difference being the rear of the car's chassis.

Valtteri Bottas driving the Alfa Romeo C42 during testing

Alfa Romeo faced a setback as Valtteri Bottas suffered a gearbox failure, which led to the red flag stoppage. McLaren had to work on the front of the car due to wheel rim cover issues, which are far less integral than last year's brake cooling problems.

In terms of driver performances, Pietro Fittipaldi, the Haas reserve driver, is hedging his bets on their pecking order, but he does agree that Aston Martin looks good. Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri had an impressive stint with 78 laps.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished the morning session on top with a time of 1:31.024 min, while Williams driver Logan Sargeant spoke to the media about the progress his team has made compared to last year.

Afternoon F1 test session

The afternoon session saw more drivers take to the track, including Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. While Red Bull is looking strong heading into the season, the battle for the front of the midfield remains tight, with teams such as Alpine, Aston Martin, and McLaren all in the mix. As the teams continue to work through their testing programs, fans can only speculate on what the 2023 season will bring.

One of the highlights of the session so far has been the comments made by Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, who discussed the pecking order among the teams. He said that it was difficult to say who was quickest, but noted that Ferrari looked strong, and that Aston Martin had made a big step forward.

Fernando Alonso driving the Aston Martin AMR23 during testing

There have been a number of issues with cars during the testing, with Mercedes experiencing reliability problems, and Aston Martin having issues with their rear suspension. There have also been reports of manufacturing issues at McLaren, who have struggled to resolve problems with their wheel rim cover. Despite these setbacks, teams have been working hard to get the most out of their cars, with some drivers completing over 100 laps in a day.

Hamilton sets the fastest lap time of the day in the final hour of pre-season testing, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas hot on his heels. The Mercedes team had been struggling with some issues earlier in the day, but Hamilton's lap on the C5 tyre shows that they have the pace to challenge Red Bull.

Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris had a difficult day with only 17 laps to his name due to technical problems. The team will be hoping to solve these issues before the first race of the season next weekend.

Alpine had a mixed day with Fernando Alonso adding to his lap count, but Esteban Ocon experiencing some technical issues that caused him to run wide at Turn 1. The team has been experimenting with their set-ups, but it's hard to tell where they rank in the pecking order at this point.

Red Bull received high praise from Jolyon Palmer, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez looking confident and agile on the track. Haas also had a good day with Kevin Magnussen finishing eighth on the leaderboard.

The final hour of testing saw a flurry of activity as teams made the most of the representative conditions, with some running out of fresh tyres. Despite the speculation and educated guesswork, it's still anyone's guess as to who will come out on top in the first race of the season.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez finished on top in the final day of testing for the 2023 Formula 1 season, setting a lap time of 1m 30.305s, quicker than last year's pole position for the same track. With three days of testing behind them, the teams now have a huge amount of data to pore over in preparation for the first race, which is only a week away.

Throughout the final day of testing, teams continued to focus on their long runs, with some swapping tires to gain insights into how their cars would handle different conditions. Mercedes had some trouble with the rear end of their car sliding around, but they are expected to stick with their current low sidepod design.

Alex Alrbon driving the Williams FW45 during testing

Williams had a relatively trouble-free three days of testing, with Alexander Albon completing 136 laps on the final day. While it remains to be seen where they rank in the pecking order, the team will be pleased with their performance and the fact that they were able to complete a good amount of testing without major issues.

The last quarter of an hour of testing saw Race Control tests, with drivers abiding by a certain lap delta. Red Bull, meanwhile, covered Perez's halo in flow vis paint, which gave engineers insights into how the paint moved around.

Looking ahead to the first race, Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Alpine look good, while Ferrari and Mercedes are also expected to be competitive. McLaren, however, is facing a race against time to sort out their reliability issues before practice begins on Friday.

In conclusion, the three days of testing have provided plenty of insights into the teams' performances, but the true pace of some teams, including Alpine, remains a mystery to many in the paddock. With the first race only a week away, fans and teams alike will be eagerly anticipating how their predictions will pan out on the track.

With pre-season testing now over, teams will have to quickly address any issues that have arisen and prepare for the first race of the season, which takes place next weekend.

The test run provided a good fitness test for the drivers under the hot and sapping conditions. The teams and drivers now have a few days to rest and recuperate before practice begins on Friday, leading up to the opening race of the season.

Fastest lap times Day 2 Pre-season Testing

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