General
Preview Bahrain Grand Prix | Is the Horner case distracting Red Bull?
- Ludo van Denderen
It is undoubtedly not the start Red Bull Racing had hoped for. The innovative RB20 with which Max Verstappen will start in Bahrain is not the talking point. Instead, it's Christian Horner's investigation, which grips Formula 1. The three-time world champion is undoubtedly well placed to shut himself off from these - for him - peripheral issues, but the question in the oil state is going to be to what extent does the affair with Horner not distract the rest of the team?
On a 'normal' weekend, it would not be a difficult prediction: even with the RB20 - the successor to the so successful RB19 - Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing would be by far the favourites for victory in Bahrain. Both car and driver impressed during test days a week ago at the same track. The RB20 was hooked on the tarmac, and did exactly what Verstappen wanted and was also very fast.
Red Bull a second faster?
Although Ferrari did manage to lead the timesheet twice at the end of the day, it was mainly Red Bull that confirmed their status as the team to beat. There were voices in the paddock suggesting Red Bull were driving with plenty of fuel on board, with a conservative engine setting. Some even believe that Red Bull's lead over the rest of the field will be more than a second. Helmut Marko, the team's consultant, by the way, assumed three tenths.
But what happens to team morale if, during the race weekend, Horner is found guilty of inappropriate behaviour by Red Bull and dismissed? Does the organisation then unexpectedly fall apart? These are hypothetical questions, but the fact is that Red Bull has let the matter simmer for a long time - perhaps too long - in Austria. The clarification is likely to follow on the very important opening weekend of the season.
View this post on Instagram
Ferrari lurking
The competition is surely following it all closely. Judging by the test, Ferrari seems to be Red Bull's most prominent challenger and the Italian team is certainly a factor in qualifying. Then in 2023, Ferrari often dropped back, partly because of high tyre wear. In the test, it was already cautiously clear that a step in the right direction has been set up in this.
Behind Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are likely to be very closely matched. What is going to be interesting is how Lewis Hamilton enters his final season with Mercedes; will he go into the year positively, or will the Brit soon come to the conclusion that the W15 cannot bring him that eighth world title? In the latter case, we may just start to see a Hamilton who will enter a gap year before switching to Ferrari.
At the back of the field, all eyes are on Alpine. The French factory team had a difficult test, and on such short notice, it seems impossible to have already got the slow and cumbersome Alpine back on track. The team will face a tough time with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.