BAHRAIN — Max Verstappen and his Crimson Bull staff will go away Method One’s preseason check feeling assured they’ll sweep all challengers once more in 2024.

On the finish of working on Friday’s closing day it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, not Verstappen, prime of the order, however all of the chatter this week has centered across the reigning world champions.

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Whereas issues look nearer on the floor when trying solely at headline occasions, particularly from Thursday and Friday’s working, it’s uncommon for rival groups to be so downbeat of their possibilities of difficult the lead staff popping out of the checks.

Crimson Bull’s general tempo throughout three days of testing prompted Fernando Alonso to say he and 18 different drivers already know Verstappen can be champion once more this yr.

Rivals estimate Crimson Bull may very well be so far as half a second per lap faster than the remainder (a snug benefit in trendy F1), though that will effectively change circuit to circuit because the season goes on.

Verstappen gained final yr’s closing race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, by 17 seconds. His common victory margin throughout the yr in races which completed beneath racing circumstances was a hefty 13.363 seconds.

These stats assist underline why half a second per lap is a sizeable margin for any staff to beat, particularly with Crimson Bull prone to aggressively develop their RB20 automobile, which includes a utterly overhauled design idea to the record-shattering RB19 of final yr.

Verstappen has gained three straight drivers’ championship and Crimson Bull gained the constructors’ title in 2022 and 2023.

Final yr was one of the dominant seasons in F1 historical past — Verstappen gained a document 18 races as Crimson Bull gained 21 occasions out of twenty-two occasions by means of the yr.

In reality, the aggressive order is rarely identified till the primary qualifying session for the primary race — when groups actually present the uncooked tempo of their vehicles with low gas and recent tyres — however Verstappen has already declared his staff has made a step ahead from final yr.

That first qualifying session happen in per week’s time on the similar venue as testing on March 1, forward of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.

At testing final yr, Aston Martin created headlines after rising as a shock outdoors contender to Crimson Bull, however this time round it seems to be firmly in a busy chasing pack with Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.

One other consensus which has shaped this week within the paddock is that chasing gaggle of groups may be even nearer collectively than in 2023, which can create one other irritating season of imagining the all-time traditional championship which may very well be going down if Verstappen and Crimson Bull have been magically erased from the aggressive order.

Talking of how tight that pack is, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur mentioned: “For ten kilos of gas, you’ll transfer from P2 to P6 or P7, which suggests a very powerful factor is to deal with your self, to have a great suggestions from the drivers and to date their feeling is nice.”

Past Crimson Bull, Ferrari’s automobile has impressed all through the three days, with essentially the most optimistic suggestions coming from drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Each drivers complained Ferrari’s 2023 automobile was troublesome to drive all through the season. That erratic nature was demonstrated in its seasonal document, which noticed the staff declare seven pole positions however solely convert one right into a grand prix victory.

Whereas joyful on the improved driveability of the brand new automobile, neither Leclerc or Sainz’s quotes to the media or basic physique language — so usually a giveaway of how a staff feels at this stage of the yr — counsel they’re males who count on to problem for a primary world title win this yr. Mercedes and McLaren look prone to be effectively established inside that chasing group.

A staff to look at going into the primary race would be the newly rebranded Crimson Bull second staff of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, now dubbed RB.

The outfit, previously Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri, has loved three stable days by way of mileage and is hoping to make a significant step up the grid now it has secured a giant business partnership with Visa and Cashapp.

It could effectively look to swap locations with perennial midfielders Alpine this yr, with the French staff’s new automobile trying underwhelming to most onlookers.

Tellingly, Alpine have been downplaying all expectations round their automobile, though it must be famous the staff not often has a very stand-out check efficiency because it prioritises longer runs with heavy gas over outright fast occasions.

Williams is one other troublesome staff to evaluate at this stage, whereas Sauber and Haas look set to be on the rear finish of the sector to begin the yr.

Nonetheless as with the chasing pack, the rear group of groups look like very carefully matched.

F1’s 2024 season begins with a uncommon state of affairs of again to again races on a Saturday, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following Bahrain on March 9.

The primary two races have shifted to Saturday with a view to accommodate the start of Ramadan.

This yr’s race schedule stands at a document 24 occasions throughout the season, together with three within the U.S.