Friday times suggest F1 is set for Sunday dogfight in Bahrain

Much intrigue surrounds the pecking order of the Formula 1 grid ahead of the opening round in Bahrain this Sunday. Pre-season testing left many wondering if 2021 will be the year that Red Bull finally begins a season on the front foot and offers a championship challenge to Mercedes.

Max Verstappen expressed himself in a calm manner after Friday practice concluded at the Bahrain International Circuit, declaring he was happy with the RB16B’s balance without getting carried away with the lap times.

Over at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton stated the situation was looking “better” for the team but nodded in the belief that Red Bull possessed a faster car – a stance that Mercedes took after testing ended two weeks ago. Valtteri Bottas too said Mercedes W12 performed better than it did at testing, but asserted that the balance is still not to his liking.

It’s somewhat a reflectance of the long-run times on Friday. Verstappen set the fastest times in FP1 and FP2, and also had the claim to the fastest car in high fuel runs, which he performed on the Medium tyres. His nearest challenge came from Hamilton, who is seeking a record-breaking eighth F1 title this year.

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While Verstappen has mingled himself with the Mercedes duo on the track in recent years, it has often been a solo effort, with former team-mates Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon struggling in the second seat.

Red Bull has recruited Sergio Perez with the hope that he will offer a more consistent threat to the dominant Mercedes team, and on Friday, his lap times suggested he will do just that, pacing faster than the other black-liveried car of Valtteri Bottas. Perez has historically been something of a Sakhir specialist, excelling at the rear-limited venue even before his victory on the Outer Layout.

The midfield fight has been a close affair in the last handful of seasons, with Ferrari slipping back into that group in 2020 with a car that was described as draggy, while also possessing less horse power to usher it down the straights.

The team is confident that it has put some of its woes from last year behind it, as it aims to climb back up the ladder and at the very least reclaim third place back from McLaren, who came out on top in the midfield fight last year.

However, Friday’s data suggests that neither Ferrari or McLaren currently heads the battle. Of course, unknown fuel loads and engine settings can cloud the picture but on this occasion it appears the third fastest team is Red Bull’s sister squad, AlphaTauri.

The Faenza-based outfit completed its high-fuel runs on different tyre sets, with rookie Yuki Tsunoda on the Mediums and Pierre Gasly on the Softs. Curiously, it was Tsunoda who was the fastest of the two (and fifth fastest overall), despite being on the harder tyre to Gasly.

Carlos Sainz’s average lap time followed the AlphaTauri pair, however his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who was one of only four drivers to do a long-run on the Soft tyre in FP2, was 12th, suggesting that the degradation on the Soft makes it an unsuitable race tyre.  

Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were not separated by much, but remained faster than Alpine and Aston Martin, who are both hoping to progress forward in 2021 after missing out on third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was heard complaining during the session about the balance of his car, and his unhappiness is arguably justified given his low-lying position in the average long-run times – the Frenchman was only ahead of Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Aston Martin’s last visit to Bahrain brings about pleasant memories, as it won last December’s Sakhir Grand Prix, albeit under the Racing Point name. However, Friday’s times do not bring about gratifying reading for the team, as they suggest it has slipped down the order compared to its position in 2020.

Alfa Romeo’s day was somewhat disrupted by a spin for Kimi Raikkonen, who hit the wall at the exit of Turn 2. However, the team was able to complete a long-run with Antonio Giovinazzi on the Hard tyres, which placed the Italian 15th overall.

The back of the 2021 grid is expected to feature Williams and Haas. Williams’ car design for 2021 has seen it adopt a more radical approach that it hopes will leave it competitive and in contention for points at just a handful of rounds at the expense of languishing towards the rear of the field at others.

Haas will bring very minor upgrades to the next round in Imola, but that will be it for the year, as it places its limited resources in 2022 and the new technical regulations.

George Russell popped up into the midfield positions with his long-run times on Friday for Williams, albeit on a set of Soft tyres. Schumacher and Mazepin meanwhile, were the only drivers to average 1.40s+ lap times, as they ran the Hard and Soft tyres respectively during the high-fuel FP2 runs.

It heralds grim reading for Haas, who once took a fifth place around this circuit, in just its second every race as a Constructor. It would be a surprise to see Haas anywhere but adrift of the pack and looking out for blue flags.