Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[retreat]

The 2026 Bahrain Pre-Season Testing has just begun with 18 drivers testing on the first day. On this first day, Lando Norris successfully recorded the fastest time with a 1:34.669, then followed by Max who was 0.129 behind, and then Charles at 0.512. On this first day of testing, on average, teams were not chasing speed, but rather about how many laps they prepared. On this occasion, Max was the driver who did the most laps, with 136 laps, while Mercedes and Aston Martin, both teams, did very little testing due to technical difficulties. Overall, the first day of testing was not much to comment on.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M532UHeOcV4&t=93s

[tokeweed]

^  Guess who's sandbagging in that list. 

I'll give you a hint...  It rhymes with Brussels.    These are new rules, new engines and a new dynamic between teams because of the changes.  So until proven otherwise which will only be revealed during the real races, I still have Mercedes as the best team this coming season.

But that's just me..  And I will change my opinion later if need be.

[retreat]

^  Guess who's sandbagging in that list. 

I'll give you a hint...  It rhymes with Brussels.    These are new rules, new engines and a new dynamic between teams because of the changes.  So until proven otherwise which will only be revealed during the real races, I still have Mercedes as the best team this coming season.

But that's just me..  And I will change my opinion later if need be.

I'm also a bit curious about Mercedes' pre-season testing this time. They were so good in the pre-test with such a good record, but on the first and second days of testing they kept having trouble - I don't know if this is a real problem or just sandbagging, but it's suspicious because of the recurring technical problems, especially with the power unit reliability, whether they really pushed it or something. But I also still believe that Mercedes will be the dominant team this season, unless Aston Martin gets the real performance out of their car lol.

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[tokeweed]

^  Guess who's sandbagging in that list. 

I'll give you a hint...  It rhymes with Brussels.    These are new rules, new engines and a new dynamic between teams because of the changes.  So until proven otherwise which will only be revealed during the real races, I still have Mercedes as the best team this coming season.

But that's just me..  And I will change my opinion later if need be.

I'm also a bit curious about Mercedes' pre-season testing this time. They were so good in the pre-test with such a good record, but on the first and second days of testing they kept having trouble - I don't know if this is a real problem or just sandbagging, but it's suspicious because of the recurring technical problems, especially with the power unit reliability, whether they really pushed it or something. But I also still believe that Mercedes will be the dominant team this season, unless Aston Martin gets the real performance out of their car lol.

They prolly tested something.  McLaren and a couple other teams are running Mercedes engines too, so if they had reliability issues then the other teams running Mercedes engines should have the same issues.  But they didn't..  So it's really hard to tell.

But Russell did make the fastest lap in day 3 and was it a lap time that's the fastest for the whole testing?  Dunno...  But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if other teams think Mercedes is sand bagging. 

[retreat]

They prolly tested something.  McLaren and a couple other teams are running Mercedes engines too, so if they had reliability issues then the other teams running Mercedes engines should have the same issues.  But they didn't..  So it's really hard to tell.

But Russell did make the fastest lap in day 3 and was it a lap time that's the fastest for the whole testing?  Dunno...  But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if other teams think Mercedes is sand bagging. 

They seemed to be testing something because in this test Mercedes immediately took the lead. I'm so sure that they are preparing for something big this season. Let's see.


Red Bull just said that they are the slowest of the four big F1 teams. Technical director Pierre Wache said that they were not a benchmark as Wolff said. He added that the top three teams; Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are in front of Red Bull in the development of their cars.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-we-are-the-fourth-team-ferrari-mercedes-and-mclaren-are-faster-/10797407/

We know that this is just politics in F1.

[tokeweed]

^  Yeah it's the usual sand bagging from the guys at Mercedes.  I read an article that even Verstappen thinks they're sand bagging.  Lol.  I haven't checked the latest lines but I wouldn't be surprised if Russell will gain more ground after the season is just 5 races in.  Mercedes could win at least 3 out of 5 of those races... 

But that's just my opinion.  Lol.  I see some of the guys could agree with me but what of the others? 

[Distraction]

Red Bull just said that they are the slowest of the four big F1 teams. Technical director Pierre Wache said that they were not a benchmark as Wolff said. He added that the top three teams; Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are in front of Red Bull in the development of their cars.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-we-are-the-fourth-team-ferrari-mercedes-and-mclaren-are-faster-/10797407/

We know that this is just politics in F1.

There are always some different speculations about the new season. Some say Mercedes is killing it already with their engine and they are far ahead of all other teams. They look really fast though.

But some others say lately that Red Bull is 1 second faster than their closest rival on straights for the new season - which didn't sound real to me. And your source says something different than these... 

I just can't believe any of this for now. Let's see the other testing session also.

[retreat]

There are always some different speculations about the new season. Some say Mercedes is killing it already with their engine and they are far ahead of all other teams. They look really fast though.

But some others say lately that Red Bull is 1 second faster than their closest rival on straights for the new season - which didn't sound real to me. And your source says something different than these... 

I just can't believe any of this for now. Let's see the other testing session also.

The four big teams have clearly been sandbagging during yesterday's testing, and will most likely be doing the same thing in the next test on February 18th, so we likely can't draw a conclusion on which team is superior until now because each is still hiding their true performance and accusing each other that the other team is superior compared to them, which is BS. So for now we can only guess without definite data, because all teams are deliberately holding back their true potential and we will see their clear performance when the Melbourne GP starts.

[tokeweed]

^  Yesterday?  You mean on day 3?  No, there wasn't no sand bagging there.  Lol.  If you look at the results, clearly the guys at Mercedes showed their real pace...  And they got the top two spots. 

Come to think of it and it would come as a surprise to some folks but Ferrari could be fast too.  But I wouldn't be one of those guys who would be surprised tho.  As I kept on saying, Hamilton has a knack for sniffing out the possible dominant team after major spec changes.

[retreat]

^  Yesterday?  You mean on day 3?  No, there wasn't no sand bagging there.  Lol.  If you look at the results, clearly the guys at Mercedes showed their real pace...  And they got the top two spots. 

Come to think of it and it would come as a surprise to some folks but Ferrari could be fast too.  But I wouldn't be one of those guys who would be surprised tho.  As I kept on saying, Hamilton has a knack for sniffing out the possible dominant team after major spec changes.

I mean, throughout the entire test day, most teams were clearly sandbagging. Even Charles himself said that Mercedes wasn't revealing their full speed during pre-season testing, and Max also said the same thing. On the other hand, many also say that some teams are also sandbagging, looking at the comparison between pre-test and testing results. So, the true performance of each team remains a question mark, and so far, Mercedes has been seen as more dominant.

As for Ferrari, they also showed promise in yesterday's testing with fairly good average performance. However, Ferrari always seems to deliver convincing performance, but in actual races they seem to lose their performance. I don't know how they will fare under the new regulations, but hopefully their performance won't disappoint.

[tokeweed]

^  Yeah..  Same same as the seasons prior.  The first race of the season will reveal who actually is sand bagging in these test runs and who has the inferior car.  Lol.  But I do have a feeling Mercedes has the fastest car.

Anyway hearing things that with the new specs, the cars will be slower in the corners to charge their battery to give the cars a little more power and zoom on the straights.  I think the Ferrari cars will be quick in that kind of set up.

[retreat]

Ferrari gained attention on the second day of pre-testing after the updates they made to their SF-26 car. They added a rear wing where the upper flap flips 180 degrees once opened. This was an innovation Ferrari had made since there was no written rule saying they couldn't do it. If it worked, they could gain an advantage.

[Distraction]

What about this issue related to battery? Is it still dying in the middle of an overtake attempt? We saw it during testing phase in Bahrain. It must be Hadjar in the video if I'm not wrong.

He tries to overtake another driver on the start straight but loses power because his battery dies so quickly. Then how will this new MoM technology be effective on overtakes?

I hope they have a solution for that. If I missed that then okay...

[tokeweed]

^  I know a team who already has the solution for the battery issue...  It's Mercedes.    And the least reliable engine will be...  The Red Bull power trains.  Lolol.  You heard it here first.

Ferrari gained attention on the second day of pre-testing after the updates they made to their SF-26 car. They added a rear wing where the upper flap flips 180 degrees once opened. This was an innovation Ferrari had made since there was no written rule saying they couldn't do it. If it worked, they could gain an advantage.

If they manage to get a little more pace because of it, I'm pretty sure the other teams won't take it sitting down.  We gonna have Toto Wolff in the forefront going to the FIA to complain.    And if Horner was around, he'll def race with Toto Wolff to the FIA's nearest office. 

Any news on Horner and Alpine?

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[retreat]

If they manage to get a little more pace because of it, I'm pretty sure the other teams won't take it sitting down.  We gonna have Toto Wolff in the forefront going to the FIA to complain.    And if Horner was around, he'll def race with Toto Wolff to the FIA's nearest office. 

I bet Toto has already printed out his complaint that if Ferrari gains an advantage he'll report it directly to the FIA. But now he's a bit more relaxed, feeling it's not a threat, as they have a better engine. Maybe.

Any news on Horner and Alpine?

The plan is for him, along with an investor group, to take a minority stake in Alpine, which is currently under negotiation, and I don't think that will be finalized anytime soon. And his return as team principal with Alpine is also still unclear, since Briatore is still the Alpine team principal. But in an interview, Horner said that if he were to return to F1, it would probably be in a different role than it was 21 years ago. So anything is possible for him. Let's see if he returns as team principal or not.

[Distraction]

Some results from Testing Day 3...



Ferrari looks fast but I don't want to be hyped about them ever. I did once and got punished in a very short time for it.

I bet they will find a way to mess up this season too!

^  I know a team who already has the solution for the battery issue...  It's Mercedes.    And the least reliable engine will be...  The Red Bull power trains.  Lolol.  You heard it here first.

Oh, good for Mercedes then! I've also heard about how bad Red Bull is about that. I don't feel like there is a good season coming for them. They will probably test Max's patience again. 

[retreat]

Some results from Testing Day 3...



Ferrari looks fast but I don't want to be hyped about them ever. I did once and got punished in a very short time for it.

I bet they will find a way to mess up this season too!

Yes, they were quite impressive on the third day of the pre-test session, probably pushing the car to see how fast they were, but this was a pre-test session, so it's still too early to tell if they're that "good" this season. Still, it's good to see them so eager to top the final day of testing.

But of all of them, Aston Martin was the unluckiest. From the previous pre-test session, and now too, they've been having problems. This time, they had a more serious problem with their battery, which forced them to end the pre-test session early. That's a very bad sign, especially after all the preparation they've done. I don't know, but maybe this will be a more difficult season for Aston Martin.

[tokeweed]

If they manage to get a little more pace because of it, I'm pretty sure the other teams won't take it sitting down.  We gonna have Toto Wolff in the forefront going to the FIA to complain.    And if Horner was around, he'll def race with Toto Wolff to the FIA's nearest office. 

I bet Toto has already printed out his complaint that if Ferrari gains an advantage he'll report it directly to the FIA. But now he's a bit more relaxed, feeling it's not a threat, as they have a better engine. Maybe.

Any news on Horner and Alpine?

The plan is for him, along with an investor group, to take a minority stake in Alpine, which is currently under negotiation, and I don't think that will be finalized anytime soon. And his return as team principal with Alpine is also still unclear, since Briatore is still the Alpine team principal. But in an interview, Horner said that if he were to return to F1, it would probably be in a different role than it was 21 years ago. So anything is possible for him. Let's see if he returns as team principal or not.

You know Christian Horner was once earmarked to be the next president of the FIA once upon a time...  This was during Bernie Eccelstone's days when he was still the 'F1 Supremo' when he was still the owner of the rights for F1 before Liberty Media bought it from him.

Not really sure if there's still a chance for Horner to be FIA president but it would be a lot better if he was running things instead of that Sulayem guy.

Anyway, hearing things that the Honda and the Ford engines really suck.