Paddock Crowns McLaren Early Favourites, But Team Plays It Cool After Bahrain

McLaren emerged from Bahrain testing as the paddock’s pace-setter, poised to lead into the Australian Grand Prix season-opener.

Italian journalist Leo Turrini offered a candid take on his blog: “I’ll be honest, friends. The new Ferrari did not live up to expectations. (Charles) Leclerc said so explicitly. (Lewis) Hamilton was more cautious, but he was not beaming with enthusiasm either. McLaren is ahead for now. (Max) Verstappen, perhaps, too.”

Mercedes’ George Russell clocked the fastest lap on the final day, yet team principal Toto Wolff tempered expectations with Bild: “We are not the favourites.” Red Bull’s Pierre Wache, after early optimism, admitted to Canal Plus: “The test did not go as smoothly as we expected.” On McLaren, he noted: “I find the McLaren very interesting, such as the front suspension. But we also think it is very risky. It will be exciting to see whether they can pull it off.”

Wache sees a tight field: “I’m not quite as happy as I could be because the car sometimes didn’t react as we wanted, but it’s going in the right direction. Just maybe not as much as we expected.” Sky Deutschland’s Ralf Schumacher doubled down: “I think McLaren will be ahead. Ferrari are missing a bit, but they will cope. Mercedes are simply lacking pace.”

Williams’ Carlos Sainz topped the test outright, while Alpine impressed Flavio Briatore: “The drivers are not complaining about understeering or oversteering. And if they have nothing to complain about, that’s a good sign.” McLaren’s Andrea Stella sees six teams in the Melbourne hunt—prompting Fernando Alonso’s jab: “That’s what everyone says who feels like they’re ahead.”