The Formula 1 season will come to life on Wednesday as the 20 drivers get just three days of testing to fettle their new cars.
An utterly one-sided contest in 2023 was dominated by Red Bull. When the cars hit the track for the first time together this year, many will be hoping to see signs of a more competitive championship ahead.
Here’s what to watch for when testing begins at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Is Red Bull’s eye-catching RB20 another leap forward?
The world champions have shown they are not afraid to revise the design which brought them so much success last year. The RB20 may be conceptually similar to the car which won 21 out of 22 grands prix last year but it also has several striking differences.
Intriguingly, these have invited comparison with Mercedes’ W14, the concept of which the team discarded at the end of its first win-less season in 12 years. The appearance of vertical sidepods and tall engine covers on the RB20 indicate their design team see potential in these ideas, though despite their outward similarities they differ in shape and positioning to those seen on the Mercedes.
A straightforward, evolutionary RB20 would have indicated the team did not believe it could make a significant step in the third year of the current technical regulations. But this much-changed car has sent an ominous message to Red Bull’s rivals that they are poised to take another stride forwards.
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Will we see a surprise change in the pecking order?
Pre-season testing often gives us the first exciting glimpse of a change in the pecking order.
In the final year of the last set of technical regulations, Mercedes struggled with their car throughout testing due to a change in the floor rules. Red Bull were suddenly on par with them, and the scene was set for a close championship fight.
The following year Ferrari propelled themselves into contention and went into the first race of the season hotly tipped to win – which they did. And 12 months ago the buzz was all around Aston Martin, who leapt from the midfield to become the closest challenger to Red Bull at the beginning of the season. Has another team made a similar step forwards?
No season-starting setback at McLaren?
McLaren did not make a strong start to either of the previous seasons under the…
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