How Red Bull won F1 2021 pre-season testing
With Formula 1 pre-season testing drawing to a close there is one clear winner in Red Bull, while title rivals Mercedes has plenty of work to do after a surprising few days. But after crunching the numbers, the full story is revealed
Formula 1 winter testing is over – the next time the cars take to the track in anger will be for the opening race of the new campaign. There’s not long to wait, with the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix set to take place in a fortnight.
That in itself is an intriguing possibility, as the opening round will be held on the same track where the teams have just spent three action-packed days.
Share Or Save This Story
Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.
A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.
More from Alex Kalinauckas
Red Bull says it can't match "very lucrative" Audi F1 offer to Sainz
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Sainz: All my best 2025 F1 seat options are "still open"
Norris: McLaren can win races in F1 2024 if it gets everything right
Alonso: Stroll more sensitive to Aston F1 car handling issues I drive around
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
Hamilton: MotoGP and F1 shared events would be “epic”
Suzuka sensation redeemed Alonso, but his F1 future is complicated
Latest news
How real-time scrutineering ensures fair and consistent competition in motorsport
How MotoGP brakes work: Secrets of stopping a 220mph bike
Hyundai enacts contingency plan after WRC Kenya fuel issue
Vanwall working on 2025 WEC comeback with heavily-revised Hypercar
Autosport Plus
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.