Day 1 of 2024’s pre-season testing saw Max Verstappen pick up from right where he left off in 2023. The Dutchman was back to being at his dominant best on the track as he set the fastest lap of the day by quite some margin. Seeing his performance, Verstappen’s former Red Bull teammate, Alex Albon has already conceded to another season of pure Verstappen dominance.
Max Verstappen’s fastest lap from Day 1 with some onboards in S1 and S3 (because F1 uploaded the wrong lap on Youtube).
The RB20 already looks so smooth and stable. pic.twitter.com/NUuUzgENG3
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) February 21, 2024
As the testing session went on, Albon stopped by in the commentators’ box. An update on X by ‘RBR Daily‘ quotes Albon as he talked about the Dutchman’s chances at the Bahrain GP. The commentator asked Albon if Verstappen would be able to break the lap record in Bahrain this season. The 27-year-old replied Verstappen would be able to do so with ease.
“Max [Verstappen] is gonna have a 25 second lead, he’s gonna go for a pit-stop at the end of the race, and he’s gonna go for his fastest lap, and break the lap record.”
Verstappen already looks to be miles ahead of the rest of the grid. At one point, when Lando Norris set the fastest time of the day, fans thought maybe there was a twist in the tale. But once he took on the Pirelli C3 medium tires, there was no stopping him. He improved lap after lap and easily overtook Lando Norris‘ best lap time. Eventually, the 3X world champion finished the day with the best lap time of 1:31.344. Norris finished second with 1:32.484, meaning the Red Bull driver was faster by 1.140 seconds.
Not only that, but Verstappen also put in the most number of laps on Day 1. Driving the RB20 in both sessions, the 26-year-old completed 143 laps.
Max Verstappen ready to step it up on day three of testing
Having driven for the entirety of Day 1, it was time for Verstappen to sit on the sidelines for Day 2 of testing. In his absence, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was setting the pace for the grid. However, a loose drain cover damaged the floor of his car, halting the session. Eventually, officials called off the session. Carlos Sainz took over the driving duties for the afternoon session and blitzed past the rest of the grid.
2024 Pre Season Testing – Day 2 Classification pic.twitter.com/gqqlTPuL4W
— F1 NEWSHUB (@formulanewshub) February 22, 2024
He ended Day 1 as the third-fastest driver with a time of 1:32.584. The following day was even better for the Spaniard. Driving for 84 laps, he bested Verstappen’s time from Day 1, finishing with the best lap timing of 1:29.921. However, it is important to note that the timings aren’t a true reflection of any team’s race pace.
The pre-season testing mostly sees teams run diagnostics on their cars. They run different setups and simulations of the car to ensure each part is working the way it should. Furthermore, much of this testing has to do with the aerodynamic flow of the car. Hence, fans and experts usually wait till the first race to get a true idea of the pace of each team. Ferrari fans in particular, won’t get their hopes up right now.
