Has Red Bull "won" F1 testing?

Still, what evidence we can draw – yes, with caution – does suggest an intriguing possibility ahead of the first grand prix of the season, to be held at the Sakhir circuit on 28^th March: Red Bull just might have its best chance yet in the hybrid era to give Mercedes-AMG a bloody nose when the real action kicks off, following a promising weekend of testing that was sadly overshadowed by the passing of the legendary Murray Walker.

Verstappen sets the pace

First things first, Max Verstappen and new team-mate Sergio Perez enjoyed trouble-free running over the three days in Bahrain to give Red Bull plenty of juicy data to chew over between now and the race weekend. Secondly, in the cool evening air under floodlights for the final session Verstappen set a storming pace as some teams – but not all – bolted on soft tyres to go for qualifying-spec lap times.

The Dutchman set a benchmark of 1 minute 28.960 seconds – a time faster than the best free practice runs at the 2020 Bahrain GP just a few months ago, despite running to the new aerodynamic rules designed to rob teams of around 10 per cent of overall downforce. The RB16B looked good, even if Verstappen blatantly sailed past the track limits of Turn 4 on his best lap. He ended up just 0.093s faster on Pirelli’s C4 compound than impressive rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who was running the softest C5 on his AlphaTauri AT02. The sister Red Bull team also had a good three days, highlighting the strength of the Honda powertrain ahead of the Japanese manufacturer’s final F1 season. Verstappen’s verdict was that he had just enjoyed his best pre-season prep and now can’t wait to get the new term under way.

Is Mercedes rattled?

After the session, Mercedes-AMG was quick to suggest Red Bull has a clear edge at this stage and Lewis Hamilton rubbed it in by stressing his biggest rivals are a “different animal” to 2020. All part of the psychological warfare? Perhaps. But it’s certainly true that the black cars had a less productive three days than the blue ones.

A gearbox problem stopped Valtteri Bottas from running at all on the first morning. Then when Hamilton took to the track in the afternoon a swirling sandstorm made conditions almost impossible. All we could gauge is that Sir Lewis was delighted to be back behind the wheel as he blew off the winter cobwebs, slipping and sliding the W12 with gusto across the sandy surface. FAN-TASTIC… as a certain TV commentator might have put it.

It was the start of a uncharacteristically scruffy few days for the Mercedes duo, Hamilton beaching his car on Saturday and spinning again before a run on Sunday when he eventually managed the fifth best time of the final evening – more than a second off Verstappen’s best. As for Bottas, he was fastest on day two, but reported his car’s rear end was “snappy” and “unforgiving” before the team made improvements to the handling for the final day. The context, lest we forget, is Merc’s record-breaking run of seven world titles… so let’s not be hasty when it comes to predicting a downfall.

Things turn ugly for Alpine

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso was true to his word that a broken upper jaw incurred in a cycling accident wouldn’t hold him back as he made his test debut for Alpine on day two. The two-time champion, who makes his F1 return this year at the age of 39, got down to long-run mode to log 60 laps, then set the ninth fastest time on Sunday. But the smart blue livery of the Alpine A521 couldn’t hide the car’s ugly blemish that fans were quick to pick up on: the bulbous engine cover that drew uncomplimentary comparisons to F1 cars of the mid-1970s, most notably the similarly coloured Ligier JS05. OK, it’s hardly a ‘teapot’ airbox, but there’s more than a fair resemblance to the reduced version that ran post-Spanish GP in 1976 when new regs outlawed the oversized bodywork. The new Alpine won’t win any beauty contests, then, but Alonso won’t care if the car gives him a shot at podium finishes – which perhaps it will. But again, it’s way too early to judge…

Sainz shows Latin temper

The same is true for McLaren on predictions of where it stands after a middling three days for new boy Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, while Ferrari at least showed signs of improvement after the disaster that was 2020. Carlos Sainz Jr. was third fastest on Sunday evening, before ending the test in a bizarre squabble with Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen, who managed a high-mileage 166 laps on the final day and the fourth fastest time. They almost collided on their last laps, then Sainz chased Räikkönen back to the pits, the body language of his SF21 suggesting Carlos was squaring up to punt the Ferrari old boy off into the desert. His old man had a Latin temper too… If this is what driving for Ferrari does to Junior, we could be in for fireworks this year.

Vettel falls short in Aston Martin

The Bahrain tests were hardly the smooth start Sebastian Vettel wished for as he attempts to reignite his career in the new Aston Martin AMR21. The weekend was far from a disaster for the team newly painted in green, but Vettel said he was short of about “100 laps” after logging just 117 over the three days – the least of any race driver. Even George Russell managed more – an impressive 158 laps – despite only driving the Williams FW43B on the final day. A turbo boost problem forced the Aston mechanics to shut out prying cameras with screens for the final 90 minutes and Vettel never did re-emerge.

Still, you know what they say about bad dress rehearsals. He’ll hope for much better when Bahrain GP practice begins on 26^th March. But forgive us, we have to stop now – something to do with having a lump in our throat… RIP, Murray.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.