SAKHIR, Bahrain — Pierre Gasly set the fastest time on the first day of this week’s preseason test in Bahrain, but it was Mercedes who turned heads with a significant upgrade to its car.
Gasly used the softest compound tyre to set the fastest time of the day in his AlphaTauri, putting him 0.457s clear of his nearest rival. The time had all the hallmarks of a low-fuel effort, having been set on a single-lap run, on the C5 tyre compound, and once the sun had gone down and track conditions were at their best.
The gap to Carlos Sainz in second place looked impressive on paper but is easily put in context by the Ferrari running a tyre compound two steps harder. The softer the compound the more grip the tyre offers when new but the quicker that performance drops away. The performance gaps between compounds are expected to be worth 0.5s in normal conditions.
Charles Leclerc, who drove the Ferrari in the morning before handing over to Sainz at lunch, set the third fastest time, 0.172s off…
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