Formula 1 pre-season testing concludes in Bahrain; Red Bull, Ferrari looking strong

The third and final day of pre-season testing for the 2023 season in Bahrain has come to a close, with Sergio Perez of Red Bull topping the times.

As teams focused on performance and race simulations, a pecking order began to emerge.

Red Bull had a close-to-perfect testing session, running near-issue-free and setting a scintillating pace. Despite boss Christian Horner playing down their pace as "reasonable," initial investigations suggest that their form is superior.

Ferrari had another smooth day of running, and while they may not be stronger than Red Bull on paper, they appear to be second best and clear of the rest.

Mercedes recovered from a difficult day to record some chunky mileage, but they seem to still be third in the pecking order ahead of the surprise package Aston Martin.

“Aston Martin looked really impressive these three days. I think they may have taken a big step,” said Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

“I think it is quite clear, because it looks like Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are close together. The rest of the field is looking to close the gap to the front teams, and I think the midfield is quite close together,” said AlphaTauri’s Franz Tost.

Alfa Romeo continued their fine form in pre-season testing, and Alpine remains a team to watch with a big upgrade for the first race.

Qualifying next Saturday at the Bahrain International Circuit will reveal the true performance of each team.