SAKHIR, Bahrain — New regulations, new cars and possibly a new pecking order in Formula One. Don’t expect the tables to turn completely at the start of F1’s new era, but it’s clear at least one of the top teams is struggling while a number of the smaller outfits have made significant strides.
Below is a rough ranking of the teams based on the data available from the Bahrain test. Testing times are notoriously unreliable for predicting genuine performance ahead of a season, but digging into some of the longer runs and factoring in expected progress it is possible to pick out the top teams from the chasing pack.
The top two
Red Bull
It’s way too early to be crowing champions, but it’s safe to say Max Verstappen will get a shot at defending his title this year.
The Red Bull looked solid throughout the two tests and stepped things up on the final day when it brought an update to the RB18 to top the timesheets by 0.521s at the chequered flag. The update was not as extreme as the one rivals…
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