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The F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain concluded on Saturday and it leaves the teams with just a week before the F1 season officially starts on the same track. There is, however, one key question for which F1 fans are unable to get a definitive answer.
What is the pecking order? Where do the teams stand before the first race of the season? In this piece, we'll try to provide a definitive answer to this. Before we begin, a disclaimer that this is still based on testing and we might see changes by the time qualifying begins in Bahrain.
To add to that, it does appear that the grid has been bunched up quite a bit this time around. As a result, the teams, at least in the midfield, are very closely packed which makes it hard to rank them.
Having said that, let's jump straight into it as we go through what seems to be the tentative pecking order after the pre-season F1 test in Bahrain.
The F1 pecking order after Testing
Backmarkers
It might seem a bit demeaning to categorize a portion of these teams as backmarkers because early impressions indicate minuscule margins between the teams. There does appear to be a case, however, where two teams appear to be playing catch-up to the rest of the pack.
#10 Williams
The second pre-season F1 test was not a good one for Williams. The team was left frustrated after it missed an entire day because of a freak fire caused while running.
Even when the car ran, it didn't inspire much confidence as both Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon faced issues. Williams does seem to have a great operational unit that makes sure the team is ready to hit the track whenever needed. When it comes to machinery, however, the car seems a bit under-developed and hasn't taken the step that it would have expected to. For now, Williams appears to be at the bottom of the pecking order.
#9 Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo was able to put together a much better display during the F1 pre-season test in Bahrain as compared to what happened in Barcelona. The car was more reliable and it looked much better as compared to where it was in Barcelona.
For Alfa Romeo, however, it does appear that the design of the car, although innovative, still needs work. When you compare it to the midfield teams and the frontrunners, the difference seems far too obvious and reveals that the car needs some development work if it has to battle in the midfield.
Midfield
Now, coming to the midfield, it is at this stage where things get interesting. While we have put together a tentative pecking order after the test, one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that there is not much gap between these teams. Because of this, at least in the initial stages of the championship, drivers are going to make a difference.
So, in this tight-knit midfield, which might be separated by just a few tenths in all probability, you might even see a driver from the slowest team finishing ahead of the fastest midfield team. Having said that, let's get back to the pecking order for the midfield pack.
#8 Aston Martin
It's been a bit harder to judge Aston Martin during the entire pre-season. While the car has almost always looked a handful, when it comes to lap times it has always been there or thereabouts, leading to speculation that the team might be running the car a bit lighter.
Looking at the F1 pre-season test, it is fair to say that for now, Aston Martin seems to be the worst placed midfield team on track (although the gap might not be too big).
#7 Alpha Tauri
Alpha Tauri had a bit of an underwhelming test in Bahrain. The car that appeared to be spearheading the midfield train after Barcelona did not catch the eye during the test. When it came to the times on lighter fuel, it did appear that the car was lacking a bit.
The Red Bull sister team somehow appeared to regress in terms of performance after putting together what should be considered a very impressive run at Barcelona.
#6 Haas
Haas was in the dumps after Barcelona. There was no surety of where the team would go when it came to the Russian sponsor and the Russian driver in their ranks. Since Bahrain, however, it does appear that the team has bounced back.
The team does not appear to have too many issues when it comes to sponsorship money. The team also has an upgraded driver line-up with Kevin Magnussen replacing Nikita Mazepin.
As icing on the cake, the team seems to have a pretty good car this time around. Sure, some of its runs could be put down as glory runs but overall the team seems to be in pretty good shape after the Bahrain F1 pre-season test.
#5 Alpine
Like Haas, another team that made remarkable progress was Alpine. The French team had a difficult time at Barcelona with the engine turned down and the DRS engagement was off the table.
Coming to Bahrain, the team seems to have solved those problems and the cars do look good on the track. Is it the undisputed leader of the midfield pack? It's hard to say for now but it does seem that the car is already performing at a pretty good level.
Frontrunners
#4 McLaren
McLaren is in a bit of a limbo at the moment The team encountered a critical brake issue that limited the running to small bursts throughout the F1 test. Due to this, the team has been unable to go through the entire program and has lost out a bit.
One thing that stood out for the car, however, was the performance it showed whenever it ran. Early impressions leave the team as the fourth-best car on the grid and possibly might be snapping at the heels of Mercedes as well.
#3 Mercedes
Mercedes introduced the most eye-catching innovation of the entire F1 pre-season with its "no-sidepod" innovation. Is it the golden bullet that many thought it would be? For now, it's hard to provide a conclusive answer to that.
The car has not looked great on the track from the moment it started lapping the Bahrain circuit. Is it on the same level as Red Bull or Ferrari? At the moment, it doesn't seem that way and the drivers have left no stone unturned to rule themselves out of contention for the win.
Mercedes, however, was in deep waters before the start of the 2021 season as well. Yet Lewis Hamilton started the season by winning 3 of the first 4 races. Can they do that again this time around? It's hard to say no to that argument, but for now, that Mercedes W13 does not look like the fastest car on the grid.
#2 Ferrari
Ferrari was the undisputed king of F1 pre-season testing this year until the last day in Bahrain, when Red Bull turned up with its upgrades and turned the tables. The Italian team, however, will be pleased with the progress it has made during the off-season. It should, therefore, not be a surprise if Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz or both are fighting for the title.
For now, the Scarlet car looks capable enough of fighting at the sharp end of the grid even though it might be fractionally slower than the fastest car.
#1 Red Bull
Paddock consensus placed Red Bull at the top of the pecking order after the F1 pre-season test in Bahrain. Previously, the team had kept its cards close to its chest for the most part during the F1 pre-season.
It all changed on the last day when Red Bull introduced its upgrade and for a change started doing a few performance runs. If that wasn't enough, the team did a low fuel run that made the entire paddock stand up and take notice. Red Bull is one of the more radical designs on the grid and it goes into the first race of the season with all the boxes ticked.
