F1 pre-season testing is done and dusted following three intense day⛦s of running at the Bahrain International Circuit. The next stop for the F1 circus is Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix in just over a week﷽.

Teams will continue to pour over the data as they look to fine-tune their𝓀 cars for the first race and weigh up their rivals ahead of the new season. While it’s impossible to precisely know where each team is in t🔯he F1 pecking order, a clear favourite has emerged.

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris’ race stint on day two of the Bahrain test was astonishingly quick. A direct comparison to Ferrari’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Andrea Kimi Antonelli race simulations highlighted h🔯ow impressive McLaren looks to be at this early stage.

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Oscar Piastri backed this up on day three, who outpaced 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:George Russell during their respective race simulations. The usual caveats remain with regard to power modes and fuel 🐎loads. 

But overall, it’s looking ominous for McLaren - and Nor🌜ris - in particular ahead of Australia.

Lando Norris’ stunning race sim

After a low-key opening day in Bahrain, the second day of testꦇing gave us a glimpse of the state of play at the top of F1. Norris, Leclerc and Antonelli all completed race simulations, with the three drivers opting for a two-stop strategyꦆ.

Race pace is the best way to get an accurate read of each team’s performance, given that you know they’re running a simil🔴ar amount of fuel (around 100kg to start a race). The only difference between the three drivers was the order in which they ran the three hardest compounds. 

Norris opted for C3-C1-C2, while Leclerc and Antonelli also started on the C3s before switching to the C2 and finishing on the C1. On average, No🔯rris was 0.350s quicker than Leclerc and Antonelli during the first stint.

The gap reduced slightly in the second stint as Norris ran on the harder C1 compound - 0.2s over Leclerc and Antonelli. But it was Norris’ astonishing final stint on the C2s, over one second f🦂aster tꦰhan what Leclerc and Antonelli could manage, that turned heads in the Bahrain paddock.

Leclerc and Antonelli were evenly matched, which bodes well for Mercedes because of the Italian’s lack of experience and the fact he hadn’t done a full race simulation before. Still, McLaren’💛s advantage over their main two rivals was frightening, just under six-tenths on average.

Even if you view Norris’ final stint as an anomaly, whether the track and tyre combination unlocked more lap time from the MCL39, it looks like they have a couple of tenths (at least) over Ferrari and Mercedes. Piastri’s race simulation on the final day was less impressive than Norris’ but still confirmed McLaren’s apparent advantage over Mercedes.&nb🍎sp;

The Australian w🌳as 0.5s faster than Russell in the first stint when both drivers were on the C3 (soft) tyre. However, Piastri and Russell were evenly ꦓmatched in the other two stints.

Still, it put McLaren’s advantage over Mercedes at around 0.3s. Ferrari didn’t complete a race simulation with168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Lewis Hamilton as an unknown technical issue curtailed his fin💃al day.

Similarly, getting a read on Red Bull was difficult with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Liam Lawson in the car for the entire day on Thursday. When it was168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Max Verstappen’s turn in the car, the RB21 looked tricky to drive, with the Dutchman spinning at Turn 1 before laying down some rubber on the track as he stamped on the throttle in frust🐻ration.

Verstappen would go on to set the second-fastest time of the day, but without a full race simulation under his belt, it’s difficult to know where Red Bull are in the pecking order heading into Australia. Speaking after the final day, the Dutchman was frank when reviewing🍰𒊎 Red Bull’s test in Bahrain.

“I don’t expect us to be the fastest, of co💙urse, at all🦹,” he said.

Not all rosy at McLaren

It ♏would be unfair to say that things are 100 per cent perfect at McLaren despite their impressive race pace. Rear instability appears ♔to be the MCL39’s main weakness, surfacing during the morning session on day three.

Norris had several oversteer moments as he struggled with rear-end stability. While he wasn’t the only driver to suffer from this amid the higher track temperatures and the additional strain it was putting on the tyres, it’s clear that McLaren isn’t compl🍌etely at one with the race track at this stage, offering a glimmer of hope to their rivals.

Testing in Bahrain was unusually cool with temperat꧃ures consistently below 20 degrees Celsius. Hotter temperatures in Melbourne with a completely different track layout - low downforce and longer straights - might mean the form guide shown in Bahrain testing isn’t a reality.

McLaren are certainly in the best place to start an F1 season since 2012, when they finished 1-3 in the season opener at Albert Park. Behind them, Merc🐼edes and Ferrari were closely matched throughout the three days in Bahrain.

The big question mark remains Red Bull, with the RB21 looking difficult to set up, as was the case with its predecessor. Alpine and Williams look set to duel it out at the front o✅f F1’s midfield.

Williams grabbed the headline times, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Carlos Sainz setting the pace on the second day of testing.꧃ Alpine appear to be in a solid spot - night and day compared to 12 months ago.

Aston Martin were plagued with chronic understeer on the final day - and could be set for a difficult season. Haas’ test was dominated by heavy fuel ൩running, while Racing Bulls and Sauber appeared to be the two weakest cars on track in Sakhir.

Lando Norris’ golden opportunity

While many view 2024 as a missed opportuni🤡ty for Norris, 2025 is a golden one. With McLaren set to start the year as the team to beat, Norris must capitalise to ensure he’s not the ‘chaser’ in the fight again. 

Norris has proven capable of leading from pole position and converting it into 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sebastian Vettel-style dominant wins in F1 - think Zandvoort or Singapore. His victory i🌼n Abu Dhabi was arguably more impressive as he dealt with the pressure of the two Ferraris behind to take McLaren to their first constructors’ title since 1998.

The 25-year𓆉-old’s flaws were apparent, however. N🦄orris showed naivety in wheel-to-wheel combat on multiple occasions, particularly on opening laps and against Verstappen.

If Norris tidies up these areas, as he seemed to do in the ꦜfinal third of the season (Brazil aside). In that case, it’s hard to see anyone stopping him, especially given McLaren’s apparent pace advantage. 

T♚his is F1, though, and maybe we’re in for a surprise or two in Australia.