Feature
All you need to know about the three-day 2024 Formula One pre-season test in Bahrain, with updates at the end of each day’s running in the desert and reaction and insight from the team.
Preparations for the 2024 Formula One season shift up a gear at Bahrain International Circuit this week. Pre-season testing is the prologue to a record-breaking 24-race calendar. With little more than a week between the final day of testing and the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 2 March, every lap counts and is a chance for us to learn about our new car, the AMR24.
Here’s everything you need to know about pre-season testing…
Day One
Team Principal Mike Krack reflects on the opening day:
“Overall, it’s been a smooth, productive and positive first official day of testing here in Bahrain. Between them, Lance and Fernando completed 131 laps at the wheel of the AMR24, and we achieved everything we set out to in our programme for day one.
“Weather conditions were good today, but the wind kept us on our toes and made life a little harder at times for the drivers on track – which is not uncommon at Bahrain International Circuit. It’s the same challenge for everybody, but Lance and Fernando dealt with it well.
“Today, we focused on systems and reliability checks and validation of aerodynamic performance. The car is responding well to changes, and we have a wealth of data to review this evening.
“We learn something new about the car with every lap, and we’re looking forward to returning to the track tomorrow to continue our testing programme.”
The essential info
Location: Bahrain International Circuit (3.3 miles)
Date and time: 21-23 February, 07:00-16:00 GMT
Toggle below to highlight parts of the track.
Driver line-up
As the most experienced Grand Prix driver in Formula One, and with 377 Grand Prix starts under his belt, Fernando has seen his fair share of pre-season testing. Embarking on his second campaign with the team means less time will be needed to focus on familiarisation with processes and procedures and more time can be focused on learning about the car and optimising the package.
Lance, meanwhile, will participate in his first pre-season test in two years, having missed the 2023 sessions after a cycling injury sustained when training. Together with Fernando, his focus will be to work with the team to understand this season’s car and help to unlock as much of its potential ready for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Aims and objectives
Preparation is the name of the game when it comes to testing. The primary objective is ensuring the drivers, team and car are ready for the long season ahead. When broken down into smaller goals, that preparation takes the form of assessing car reliability, analysing overall performance and tyre usage as well as ensuring the drivers are fully acclimatised to the new car. To realise these aims, capitalising on the available track time is paramount.
A productive test is one where a high number of laps have been completed, with minimal disruptions to the run plan. The more laps the car can complete across the three days, the more the team will learn and therefore be better prepared for the first race.
A different look
A number of laps during testing will see the car running with aero rakes – used to measure airflow over the car – and other instrumentation fitted for aerodynamic performance and correlation mapping and to learn about other aspects of the car, such as brake and power unit cooling capacity.
AMR24 Tech insights
The culmination of countless hours of work and uncompromising craft, our 2024 Formula One car builds on the strengths of its predecessor and applies the learnings from our most successful season to date.
EXPLORE AMR24
The competitive order
Laptimes in pre-season testing rarely tell the full story and are not necessarily a reliable indicator of the true competitive order. Times aren’t always representative due to teams running differing fuel loads, tyres with varying amounts of life, engine modes that produce varying degrees of power. The track conditions when a laptime is set also influence performance.
At this stage in the season, few in the paddock are prepared to reveal their hand for the coming season, and the competitive picture only becomes clear after the first qualifying and race of the season. However, GPS data for all the cars allows teams to monitor cornering and straight-line speeds throughout the field, which does provide some indication of the pecking order.
Follow the test
This page will be updated after each day of testing, delivering the latest insight and reaction from key members of the team and the drivers as they evaluate the day’s programme.
Join the conversation by following @AstonMartinF1 on social. Share your thoughts on the test, receive real-time updates from the track, enjoy unmissable content from the team in Bahrain and much more.
Sky Sports F1 will broadcast all three days of testing live in the United Kingdom and Ireland and, in territories where it is available, F1 TV will also be offering coverage of the test.
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
