Pre-Season Testing – Bahrain: Day 1
Sakhir, 21 February 2024 – Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber had a successful first official day of track action as testing for the 2024 Formula One season started in earnest in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was a busy day for the team, which put the new C44 to the test from morning to evening: Valtteri Bottas (in the morning) and Zhou Guanyu (afternoon) had a smooth day, totalling more than 130 laps between them with no issues, an auspicious start to the season.
The team will return to track tomorrow, with Zhou in the C44 in the morning and Valtteri taking over driving duties in the afternoon.
Circuit: Bahrain International Circuit / 5.412 km
Driver: Valtteri Bottas (morning); Zhou Guanyu (afternoon);
Chassis / engine: Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber C44-02 / Ferrari
Laps: 69 laps, 373.428 km (BOT); 63 laps, 340.956km (ZHO)
Fastest Lap: 1:34.431 – P14 (BOT); 1:33.871 – P10 (ZHO)
Valtteri Bottas (Car 77): "We had a productive first morning of testing, and I'm thrilled to be back on track. It seems that we have made some improvements compared to last year and we were able to get a good feel for our car. The correlation between our simulator data and what we're experiencing on the track is definitely reassuring, especially on the first day of testing. We started with a solid baseline setup for the car and were able to log some good mileage. Now, our focus shifts to fine-tuning and understanding raw lap times in the coming days. While our progress feels promising, the true improvement of performance will be revealed next week."
Zhou Guanyu (Car 24): "Today has been a promising day for us; we were able to complete our programme for the day, focusing on the long runs and on switching between different setups. Our car seems to be heading in the right direction, and even though there is definitely still room for improvement, the feeling is pretty good. I reckon the aggressive approach we have taken over the winter allowed us to make a step forward compared to last year's car, and you can tell the difference out there on track, which is great. Now, for the next two days, it'll be important to tick all the boxes, in order to come prepared ahead of next week. It is too early to say anything about our competitors, as of course everyone is going through their own programmes during testing; we will be focusing on our own and aim to get as much mileage and track time as possible."
