Official 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***

[Piginapoke]

Here we go again, a whole new season to look forward to

Expect a Red Bull 1-2, but the Mclaren/Ferrari/Mercedes competition behind will be great to see. Norris v Piastri should be interesting from the get go; I expect Piastri to beat Norris over the year. Testing suggests Haas will again be the slowest.

Oh, remember the race is on a Saturday this year!

Date(s): Thursday 29 February to Saturday 2 March 2024.

UK Broadcast Timings (and track time)

All sessions are live on Sky F1. Channel 4 is showing highlights of Qualifying and the Race.





2023 Highlights:

https://youtu.be/f9j8nhMNYO4?si=Ksyc1QumdU4b1hlC

Tyres: (Hardest compounds)



2023 Result:

Edited by Piginapoke on Saturday 24th February 11:36

Edited by Piginapoke on Saturday 24th February 13:08

[PhilAsia]

Thanks PiaP!! The #1 thread is back again...!!!

A wafty-win for Max - and, also-rans.

[kambites]

If anything I think Redbull will have a bigger margin than at the start of last year. Difficult to call who will be best of the rest though.

[HTP99]

Why is the race being run on the Saturday?

[Jasandjules]

This is a rhetorical question. That Red Bull has improved, I can only hope the others have improved enough to make a fight of it, but I suspect not.

[Sandpit Steve]

HTP99 said:

Why is the race being run on the Saturday?

The Saudi race is being run on Saturday, to avoid Ramadan which is expected to start on Sunday. Bahrain also got pushed back 24h as a result, because there has to be seven days between races. Thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[LM240]

HTP99 said:

Why is the race being run on the Saturday?

Religion

[rdjohn]

Thanks PiaP for doing these “go to” pages once again.

My podium guess is Max, Lewis, Sergio, in a fairly boring one-stop race at the front.

Keeping Max happy will likely compromise Sergio’s race.

McLaren seem to have a lot to do to keep either driver happy. This will be the season when Oscar will start to pressure Lando.

Field convergence at the back of the grid still looks some way off.

[suffolk009]

Another season. Excellent. Thanks PiaP, once again.

I hope we don't see another year like last. But realistically, I think by Monaco we'll be voting for who is likely to come second again.

[Jasandjules]

suffolk009 said:

I hope we don't see another year like last. But realistically, I think by Monaco we'll be voting for who is likely to come second again.

Looking at the testing, it is going to be another romp, looks like a good second a lap advantage to me still. That Red Bull looks incredible.

[mk1coopers]

Thanks for the thread PiaP, starting the season off with a sense that it will be a repeat of last year, but also hoping that it won’t

[Scrump]

One week to go

Piap, thanks for the thread,

[suffolk009]

Jasandjules said:

Looking at the testing, it is going to be another romp, looks like a good second a lap advantage to me still. That Red Bull looks incredible.

Yes, I fear you're correct.

[BrettMRC]

Thanks Mr Poke!

Expecting a 1998 McLaren style win here for RB, I hope they at least dominate with style.

Mercedes and Ferrari best of the rest.

Also expect Russell to start positioning himself as the second coming over team radio from turn 1!

[JVCraddock]

Thanks PIAP for the thread!

Can anyone answer a question on lap records. It’s from 2005 ( Pedro De La Rosa) but qualifying last year was under that. Was it a different circuit layout?

[520TORQUES]

BrettMRC said:

Also expect Russell to start positioning himself as the second coming over team radio from turn 1!

He is going to be as anoying as will buxton, and that takes some doing.

[thegreenhell]

Well this is the most exciting week of the season, the anticipation before the first race. It's all downhill after this.

[520TORQUES]

thegreenhell said:

Well this is the most exciting week of the season, the anticipation before the first race. It's all downhill after this.

It might be different this year with some clean slate cars and some continued but refined concepts. The Mercedes and RBBT have the most likely path to improving quickly, Williams will probably suffer more at first but continue to improve. McLaren and Red Bull should start strong, Aston will be there or there abouts, not expecting much from Haas and Sauber.

Riciardo should stuff Tsunoda
Hamilton and Russell will be close but i expect Lewis will come out on top
It will be the last year for Perez who will get his arse handed to him again by Max
Magnussen will throw in some dumb moves regularly, Hulk will be invisible
Lando and Piastri will be close with Lando on top, just.
Fred will smash Stroll into a heavy sulk
Albon will shine, sargeant will win the demolition derby prize again and be gone at season end
Ocon and Gasly will be meh
Leclerc will continue to bin it and letting Sainz go will look like a bad mistake, they dumped the wrong driver
Bottas and Zhou will be meh
And finally, MBS will continue to make a prick of himself and the FIA

[Quikcurl]

I’m finding it hard not to be slightly annoyed about the race being Saturday. Not really because of the race itself being on Saturday but because the first qualifying session of the season, where we find out where the teams are relative to each other, will be at 4pm on a Friday when I have no hope of watching it live.
I guess it’s not really the end of the world but it’s a little frustrating!

[Teatowell]

Looking forward to this even if it’s with false hope. Expect RB to win but I think Merc have been hiding a lot of pace and will be clear 2nd maybe even pressuring RB but possibly won’t qualify well so might be a quite a mixed up grid. Ferrari look to be comfortable 3rd based on having sorted out tyre deg issues and still look to have good 1 lap pace unless it was all vanity times in testing. I think McLaren and Aston will be slightly disappointing and other RB irritatingly good.