28/02/2024
NEWS STORY
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Having had three days to work on the FW46 last week, we now return to Bahrain for the opening race of the season.
We didn't have the smoothest pre-season test, but we were able to address the issues that we uncovered and by the final day the car was running well. Despite limited mileage on day 1, we were still able to collect a lot of data and we have spent the last few days analysing that data, understanding the correlation to the simulations, and evolving the build and setup of the car to maximise its performance.
Both drivers enjoyed some good running during the test and were able to complete performance and race running. Both significantly developed their understanding of the FW46 and whilst there is still more to come, they are in a good position to refine their setups and get more out of the car.
FP1 will be relatively hot and not very representative of the qualifying and race conditions. Therefore, we will look to complete some slightly different tests in FP1 and return to the setup that we used at the test for the cooler FP2 conditions.
Tyres for this event are the hardest that Pirelli offer, and they will be well suited to the abrasive track surface in Sakhir. As always, tyre management will be critical in the race, and this is something that we will be refining during the weekend.
Alex Albon: We didn't have the easiest test but made progress throughout. There's still work to do to maximise the car we have, these few days in between the test and race have been spent understanding the package and especially the areas we need to work on. We'll go into FP1 with some new ideas and try to maximise the weekend as much as possible.
Logan Sargeant: Since testing, I've been itching to get back in the FW46 and finally go racing for the first time this season. Of course, everyone would've liked more days of testing, but as a team we maximised the three days the best we could, making progress in the right direction. We'll be looking to build on what we learned during the test and get the car in a good window ahead of Qualifying. Hopefully we can start the season with a positive weekend for the team.