Friday analysis in Bahrain | Can Alonso really challenge Verstappen?
F1 News
There's a lot of hype around Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso. Pre-season testing demonstrated that the British team had made gains, but everyone doubted whether it was their true performance. A week on, Alonso topped the second free practice session and seems to be Max Verstappen's closest challenger. Is the hype real? Or will the balloon burst during qualifying in less than 24 hours?
Sector one and three times
In Sakhir, the first and third sectors are virtually mirror images of each other. These two sectors will really test the straight-line performance of the cars. The first and third sectors will also test the balance under heavy braking. The run down to turn one is something to look out for.
With four significantly long straights, there's a serious power focus at this circuit with which the engines for all 10 teams will thrive with. This is shown in the recent results. Red Bull haven't won at the circuit since 2013, with Mercedes and Ferrari taking the spoils. Red Bull have traditionally struggled in the engine department. Engine development is frozen, but teams have been able to make reliability changes. The top speeds on the straights come Saturday and Sunday will show us how much teams were sandbagging in testing.
Fernando Alonso recorded the fastest sector one and sector three times in FP2. Verstappen was around two-tenths slower in the first sector, and almost equal in the final sector. This could be an indication that the Red Bull car is able to look after its tyre better on one single lap compared to Aston Martin. Over 2022, Red Bull were the strongest in a straight line but got beat in this department during practice. This could be an indication that Aston Martin have their engines turned up a little bit more than Red Bull. It could also show that Aston Martin are really strong in this area, but all will be revealed in 24 hours time.
Charles Leclerc marginally set a faster time in the first sector compared to Verstappen suggesting that the Italian team have made some gains in straight-line speed. This advantage swapped over in the final sector proving that it's close. It could also indicate that Red Bull's tyre management is better on a single push lap.
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Middle sector
The middle sector is completely different. Sector two in Bahrain is much more twisty and has a range of slow-medium speed corners. It’s the technical part of the track. Cars that record the quickest sector times here perhaps have more downforce. Acing all three sectors shows a good package. Verstappen recorded the quickest sector two times, though he only beat Alonso by just over one-tenth showing that they both have a pretty good balance.
Long run data
The long-run data also presents an interesting picture. Verstappen is as expected a cut above the rest. Apart from Alonso who matches the Red Bull Racing driver. Sergio Perez is the next best, followed by Leclerc and Sainz.
During FP1 and FP2, the medium tyre was the choice. The hard tyre is expected to be the perfect race tyre because it is durable and actually rather quick in comparison to usual. The soft tyre will also be used during the race and qualifying. With only two hard tyre sets, nobody wanted to burn up a set in FP2 and have therefore used the more available softs. As a result of this, we can expect a one-stop from soft to hard.
As highlighted by BonusCodeBets it could be a race drivers don't want to win! The last six winners of the Bahrain Grand Prix have all finished second in the World Championship. This includes Charles Leclerc who managed the feat last season.
| Driver | Average Lap time long run | Tyre |
| Verstappen | 1:37.2 | Soft |
| Alonso | 1:37.2 | Soft |
| Perez | 1:37.6 | Soft |
| Leclerc | 1:37.7 | Soft |
| Sainz | 1:38.1 | Soft |
| Russell | 1:38.4 | Soft |
| Stroll | 1:38.4 | Medium |