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The 2024 F1 pre-season testing kicks off on Wednesday in Bahrain as the cars roll out on track for the first time this season. With just three days of testing available, everything is already quite compressed for the teams in terms of what they can do with their respective cars.
Because of this, every team will probably come to this test with one primary objective that they have to fulfill. The generic ones, like reliability, are still something that's common for everyone. For every team, however, there are a few key objectives that they would want to achieve in the limited time available to them.
In this feature, we will take a look at the one key objective for every team ahead of the 2024 F1 pre-season test in Bahrain.
#1 Red Bull
For Red Bull, the test is an opportunity to put all the negativity to rest. There's been a lot written by the media about Christian Horner and his internal investigation and there's no doubt all of that has been destabilizing for the team. Red Bull will be hoping to hit the ground running and divert the attention back to what matters, which is the performance on track.
#2 Mercedes
For Mercedes, the biggest challenge the team had last season was the unpredictable nature of the car. The drivers were just not happy with what they had at their disposal and as a result, there was fluctuation in form for both drivers. The 2024 F1 challenger is supposed to be more benign and the team will be hoping to see if that is the case in the first three days.
#3 Ferrari
Fred Vasseur admitted last season that after the first day in Bahrain, he knew that Ferrari couldn't challenge for the title. This is precisely why the first day of running is crucial for the team. The squad would be looking to reaffirm that the car has certainly made a step forward compared to last season.
#4 McLaren
For McLaren, the most important part of the test would be to prevent any shocks this time around. The team has been guilty far too often of having a bad winter and then playing catch-up during the season. This time around, McLaren will be hoping to have a better starting point so that the team can build on that during the year as well.
#5 Aston Martin
For Aston Martin, the F1 pre-season test has to be all about performance. Lance Stroll claimed that the team has found around six-tenths during the winter. Now, while this might not be much, it will give Aston Martin a much better baseline and could make it a podium contender at the start of the season.
#6 Alpine
The pre-season test is crucial for Alpine because the team is at a rebuilding stage right now. The confidence is at an all-time low for almost everyone because the performances have not been up to par. Even the prospects for this season don't look that great if we go by the demeanor of Bruno Famin or even the drivers during the launch.
The pre-season test could be the one where this conception could be put to rest. If Alpine can show that it can hang with the top 5, then that would be an excellent starting point for the team.
#7 Williams F1
Williams will be hoping to establish a baseline performance during the pre-season test. The team is bringing a revamped car and this is the first one that would have Pat Fry's Signature all over it. This year's car is expected to be a step up to what the team had last season and the squad will be hoping to find first signs of it during the test.
#8 V-Ca-RB
Just like the parent F1 team, V-Ca-RB, or Racing Bulls, as it might be called fondly for this season, has a lot on its plate and most of it has been the off-track stuff. Now with the season about to kick off, the team will be hoping to get the gears in motion. It's a new team with a new setup and that's going to require some time to operate at its best.
#9 Stake F1 Sauber
Sauber might have a challenge in front of it this season because of the radical approach the team has taken with the current challenger. This will require some level of learning and understanding of how it operates.
There are plenty of questions in play here but the biggest of them seem to be around how the car would look on track. It's a completely new set-up in place and the challenges that it brings are certainly going to be worth keeping an eye on.
#10 Haas
For Haas, it's all about getting used to life after Guenther Steiner. Steiner had led the team since its inception and was part of the 'Haas brand' in so many ways. His F1 departure would be a jolt and for Ayao Komatsu, the pre-season test would be the first step to get things rolling.
