The 2024 F1 season officially kicks off with pre-season testing in Bahrain, and as fans, we could not be more excited. The last few weeks of the pre-season have been, for the lack of a better word, exhausting. It all started with Gene Haas relieving Guenther Steiner of his duties with the American team. It was at that moment that a vicious butterfly effect was set in motion.
That butterfly effect has seen the addition of new street tracks, contract extension of a current classic track, Andretti rejection by F1, Lewis Hamilton's bombshell move to Ferrari, Red Bull boss Christian Horner's internal investigation and so much more.
Due to all of this, the thing that made the fans fall in love with the sport was missed tremendously. An F1 car on a track is a sight that fans have not seen for a while and with one burgeoning scandal after another occupying the headspace, this is the much-needed change of gears.
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All 10 teams have launched their cars. The launch would however not give much of a takeaway as it is often a stock car in an updated livery that tends to get presented. This is precisely why the pre-season test is being looked at eagerly as that should give a clearer picture of what the teams will field. Having said that, what are some of the unanswered questions that fans would be seeking an answer to during the pre-season test? Let's take a look.
#1 Who is bringing what for the 2024 F1 season?
Before the F1 pre-season test there is still a lack of clarity over what the cars look like. More often than not it's the stock car that's presented during car launches to hide any innovation that could be there on the car. The true challengers would be on display for the first time during the test.
#2 How good is that Red Bull?
The car launch for Red Bull saw a very different-looking car compared to what the team had in 2023. It almost led to a lot of fans letting out a cumulatively exasperated sigh. The true car however will be available for public viewing during the pre-season test and the laptimes are surely going to give an idea of where everyone stacks up, especially Red Bull.
#3 How good is the Red Bull sister team?
One man outside of the Austrian and Italian squads who would be keeping an eye on how the V-CA-RB team does is Zak Brown. The McLaren boss has made his dissatisfaction public when it comes to Red Bull having two teams in F1.
The new structure and rebrand are supposed to be put in place to make the car with as much association with Red Bull as possible. It remains to be seen how good the cars are going to be but there is certainly a level of intrigue surrounding the Faenza-based squad.
#4 Christian Horner and his big shadow at Red Bull
The rather well-documented internal investigation of Christian Horner is going to be the big elephant in the room for Red Bull throughout the test. There's no indication that the result of the investigation could come before the pre-season test.
In that case, Horner will be in the paddock and that could once again invite questions from the media about his case and potentially take the focus away from the preparations for the season.
#5 Has Mercedes got a more benign car?
Mercedes revealed during the car launch that the 2023 F1 challenger had a poor rear end which made the car unpredictable. The new car has been built keeping this in mind with the hopes of having a more benign machine for the drivers. Everyone will be keeping a keen eye on how the Mercedes looks on track this weekend.
#6 Where does Ferrari stand with the new concept?
Ferrari has bucked the trend from everybody else with its 2024 F1 challenger and gone with a pull rod suspension for the rear of its car. This is a departure from the other 8 teams (Haas will have the same suspension as Ferrari) on the grid and it does raise questions about the design philosophy which might prove to be its undoing. The pre-season test should reveal how the car looks and where it stands compared to the competition.
#7 Will we see any innovations?
There is already a spotlight on the Mercedes front wing that might be towing the line when it comes to regulations. What about other teams? The pre-season test would be the first time we would see the original spec on track and that should reveal a lot of things.
#8 Has Aston Martin closed the gap to the front?
Aston Martin fell back quite a bit last season after an impressive start to the season. Looking at the new car for the 2024 F1 season, it does look aggressive in its design and the team is talking up a big game as well. Whether that's enough to become a regular podium contender again is a question mark.
#9 Where does Alpine find itself in the pecking order?
If you ask Alpine what the team's target is for this F1 season, you will get a vague reply. The result behind that seems to be that the team is probably not ready or in a position to talk a big game at the moment. The pre-season F1 test is crucial for the team as it would help reveal where it stands in the pecking order.
#10 Have the backmarkers closed the gap to those at the front?
The aim of these F1 regulations was to close the field spread. We saw it happen last season as well where even teams like Williams and AlphaTauri had a few giant killing races. The 2024 F1 season is supposed to feature a further shrink in the field spread. The test would reveal if the backmarkers like Williams, Haas, and Stake F1 Sauber are now closer to the front or not.
