When Formula One testing gets underway in Bahrain on Wednesday, Red Bull will have a lot of questions hanging over them. Rivals are keen to see how their vehicles compare to Max Verstappen’s, and team manager Christian Horner is battling for his job.
The dominant 2023 champions, who have won 21 of their 22 races, unveiled their new RB20 vehicle last week. Its design includes certain elements that are similar to those that rival Mercedes tried and abandoned the previous season.
Even if the lap times might not represent much while teams work through different programmes, Wednesday should provide a quick solution to any worries that some observers had about the situation.
In a Sky Sports F1 podcast, former McLaren performance engineer and Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins stated, “Let’s see the car that rocks out on day one at Bahrain because I’m not sure it’s going to be that [launch] car.”
This can mean, ‘Oh, we were joking around.’ So I have a lot of misgivings.
They could have easily kept developing the car they had, and that would have been the safer option, she said. “If they do rock up with that car, it’s a brave, brave move.” “If they proceed, it’s evident that they believe they can outperform their earlier model of developed car.”
Horner will be in Bahrain, but no information will be released about him until the energy drink firm has finished looking into accusations that a female employee made against him. Horner has refuted any misconduct.
While Verstappen is pursuing his fourth consecutive title this season, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin are also vying for position, and the true standings may not be known for some time. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, will meet with the media for the first time since it was announced that he would be switching to Ferrari in 2025. He will also be able to gauge how competitive his Mercedes will be.
The Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri team, now known as Visa Cash App RB, will attract a lot of attention since they have stronger ties to the main Red Bull team and may have a more competitive vehicle. As the championship grows to a record 24 races, teams will only have three days of testing, with one car per team, and less time spent on the track.
Because the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are scheduled on Saturdays to coincide with the start of Ramadan on March 10, drivers will only spend one and a half days each on the track before the opening race on March 2.
