The surprise
The third and final day of testing in Bahrain presented a small-big surprise in the time ranking: the credit went to the Chinese Zhou Guanyu, which dragged Sauber (or Stake F1, if you prefer) to third place behind only Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and George Russell's Mercedes. Among other things, Zhou stopped the clock, with the same tyre, just barely three tenths from the W15 of English. An encouraging sign for a team that aims to make us forget this year the ninth position in the Constructors' standings achieved in 2023.
Long runs and more
“We focused a lot on long runs during these three days of testing – explained Zhou – Therefore It was nice today to be able to try and do some fast laps by simulating qualifying. We also did a full simulation on the race distance and the sensations are positive. This looks like a promising start to the season“.
Battle in the center of the group
“We looked for different balancing and setup solutions – continued the Chinese – varying in each session. You can't see the full potential of the car with only a day and a half each. Hierarchies? The best teams are still up front, we will be able to fight with those who have been our opponents in the last two seasons“. The target, therefore, could be seventh position in the rankings.
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