The first three days of testing are an important moment for the various teams, useful for gathering initial on-track data and analyzing winter development work. While Ferrari has heavily revolutionized its project compared to 2024, McLaren needs to confirm the validity of some ‘bold’ choices. As for Mercedes and Red Bull, both want to first ensure they’ve understood and worked in the right direction to solve the problems that affected their 2024 season. The RB21 has shown that it has changed some key parts of its architecture, especially with interventions on the cooling system to free up space that can be used to gain aerodynamic advantages. The start has been promising, and Pierre Waché, on the previous day, confirmed some rumors that had emerged in the paddock regarding the last day of testing: “We will have some new parts, but nothing radical.”
Today Max Verstappen will level the performance of the RB21 Yesterday was particularly difficult to decode due to the very particular conditions in Bahrain, where the teams went out on track with record-low asphalt temperatures, around 13-14°C, making the circuit easier as it was less ‘limited’ on the rear and less aggressive on that axis in terms of degradation, which on this track is both thermal and abrasive by nature. McLaren impressed yesterday, but even Team Principal Andrea Stella tried to lower expectations, describing the conditions as “very particular, on a track that is already atypical.” At Red Bull, it was Liam Lawson’s day, limited in the morning by a radiator issue (fluid loss) on his RB21 as well as drizzle on the Shakir circuit. The new car from the former world champion team seems to have provided positive feedback to both the driver and engineers with the low temperatures of the second day, and Helmut Marko showed some optimism.
“I confirm that the car is more predictable than last year and the operating window has increased,” said Helmut Marko, especially praising the long runs by Max Verstappen on the first day, which were among the fastest. Lawson’s work yesterday was positive, but Marko doesn’t hide that the true benchmark for Red Bull remains their four-time world champion, who will hit the track today and provide a more representative picture of the value of the RB21. “This car does what I want,” the world champion had positively stated at the end of the first day, only to start the third and final day with a balance that was far from perfect, with significant setup changes, especially at the front but also at the rear. The 30°C track temperature made the third day the first real test for all the teams, as the track became much more limited at the rear. Even though the second day saw cars a bit unstable at the rear, today this was accentuated by the real characteristics of the Sakhir circuit and also by the strong winds that returned. However, as Andrea Stella also stated, this is more of a track characteristic than a car issue.
Red Bull introduces a modified front wing version In the Bahrain pit lane, it was immediately possible to spot the main updates that Pierre Waché had mentioned. At the start of the day, the car driven by the Dutch driver was equipped with the now familiar strakes behind the front wheels, especially since it had a new front wing, one of the most anticipated components on the RB21. The main modification is related to the nose, which has become a bit shorter. This version moves more toward the philosophy already used by McLaren and Ferrari, anchoring to the second flap, while the previous solution had the attachment directly to the mainplane. This is not a brand-new concept for the Milton Keynes team, as the first ground-effect car (2022) followed this technical direction.
A shorter nose manages airflow differently towards the Venturi channel entrances, increasing airflow towards the floor. Like any choice, there are pros and cons, and this solution sacrifices some efficiency in favor of overall aerodynamic downforce. This solution was brought out only for the very first morning runs, collecting data with the strakes and doing a back-to-back comparison at constant speeds between the old and new specifications. There’s also a new feature on the central part of the engine cover, where there’s a vent ‘Ferrari style’, also picked up by McLaren on the MCL39, creating a hot air blow-off on the rear section of the cover, initiating the downwash effect that directs the airflow toward the beam wing and the upper part of the diffuser.
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