2024 F1 Pre-season testing Day 2: What did we learn?

The 2024 F1 pre-season test ended with a Ferrari on top as Carlos Sainz was given the full beans to exploit what the car can do. With the red soft tire, the Spaniard put together an impressive lap, which was around two seconds quicker than what Max Verstappen managed yesterday (February 22).

With not many teams bringing a soft tire to the test, there weren't many that truly pushed their cars with next to no fuel. However, Sergio Perez did recover from an early brake issue to finish the day in P2.

With the second day of running in the rearview mirror, what have we learned? Let's take a look.

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2024 F1 Pre-season testing Day 2: Key Takeaways

#1 Red Bull has the best F1 car on the grid

Without a doubt, even if we keep the lap times aside, there's one thing that is abundantly clear — Red Bull looks beautiful on the track. There's no team that comes close to it. While Ferrari might have stolen the headline time, it means nothing in the bigger scheme of things because the car just looks dialed in, even in the hands of Sergio Perez.

Red Bull is the benchmark in F1 once again. All that's left to know is by how much.

#2 Ferrari has a strong baseline going forward in the season

On the onboards or even on the track, Ferrari has not given the impression of a car that is very stable. It looks ragged on track and the driver continuously has to fight to keep it pointing in the right direction. Having said that, this car is quick and the lap time is there. The Italian team might just have the second-fastest car this season.

#3 There isn't much to choose between Aston Martin, Mercedes, and McLaren

Behind Red Bull and Ferrari in the F1 chasing pack, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Mercedes find themselves in a cluster that is hard to distinguish. It is this cluster that would make up the top five but it's hard to pinpoint which team is where in the larger scheme of things.

#4 RB is a wildcard

Red Bull's sister team RB has been turning heads and there's just no clear idea of where anyone would put this car in the F1 pecking order. There's plenty at stake here, without a doubt, but the lap times have not given a clear picture.

In some moments, this car appears to belong in the top six, and in others, it seems to be a few tenths away. The reality could become clear on the third day or at Bahrain but it's hard to say that the car is not a good one.

#5 The bottom four might need to put in some work to catch up

Finally, we get to the zone of disappointment with the bottom four teams. Alpine has clearly regressed as the car just appears to bite back a little on the track. The slide continues for the French team after its emphatic displays during the reign of the former team principal Otmar Szafnauer.

Haas, on the other hand, has been a mystery with its focus on the long runs, while Stake and Williams have also not shown much for anyone to assume these cars could threaten the top six.