Red Bull and Ferrari Impress at Sakhir Testing, McLaren Remains Cautiously Optimistic

In the midst of Formula 1 testing at Sakhir, Red Bull showcased their dominance with consistently rapid long runs, sporting a bold new design for their RB20 car. Ferrari also turned heads with their improved SF-24, addressing previous race pace struggles, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz delivering impressive lap times.

“Do I think we’ve taken a step forward? Absolutely,” Norris said on Friday. “Do I think we’ve made a lot of things better? Yes.”But you just never really know at the end of the day where we stand compared to the others.” 

“I think we’re in a good position. We had a decent car at the end of last season.”I think we’ve definitely taken some steps in the right direction, but I think it’s still a very long way behind Red Bull and a long way behind Ferrari.”

“So, plenty of work for us to still try and achieve, but also plenty of things that we’ve learned over the last few days for us to implement before next week.”

Despite progress made by McLaren, as noted by driver Lando Norris, both Red Bull and Ferrari are expected to maintain a significant advantage at the season opener. Norris acknowledges McLaren’s strides forward but remains realistic about their position relative to the competition.

While McLaren’s MCL38 faced minor teething issues during testing, limiting Norris’s track time, the team remains optimistic about their progress. Despite setbacks, Norris remains positive, emphasizing the valuable lessons learned and areas for improvement.

Despite missing out on some long-running high-fuel sessions, Norris remains focused on making the most of testing opportunities to refine the MCL38’s performance. While challenges persist, McLaren remains determined to close the gap to frontrunners Red Bull and Ferrari as the season approaches.