What watching trackside in Bahrain indicates about F1 2023

While the 2023 Formula 1 liveries may not all stand out, there is definitely a greater difference in the characteristics of the cars when observing them tackle the Sakhir circuit at close quarters. Here are some of the key observations from day two of pre-season testing

Matt Kew Feb 24, 2023, 5:36 PM

Upd: Feb 24, 2023, 5:48 PM

The carbon fibre-revealing paint stripping isn’t quite as offensive on the eye as originally feared. That’s the first major impression after heading trackside and watching the floodlights bounce off the bodywork of Formula 1 cars as daylight fades to dusk at the Bahrain International Circuit during pre-season testing.

In this writer’s view, predominantly white liveries on racing cars look unfinished (apologies, Martini stripes!). Contemporary F1 ground-effects regulations necessitating drastic weight-saving measures that result in teams running with naked carbon fibre panels feels like the new equivalent. Combine that with the recent switch by many to a matte finish and the risk is that the grid looks downright dull. Certainly, the McLaren MCL60 is short on papaya and the Alpine colours are much more washed out this year, but they’re not quite the monochrome cohort as made out during the launches.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.