Making modifications

Some weekends are busier than others – but even when the garage looks serene, there can be furious activity behind-the-scenes. The carbon composite bodywork and wings on an F1 car are all hand-made, and by design intended to be a tight fit. Sometimes so tight, a little bit of light modification is required at the track.

Wingmen

Our latest specification front wing arrived during the weekend, but needed some work so that we had two available for FP3. Late into the night our small team of fabricators was supplemented by anyone with a spare hand. Eight people worked on a nosebox – including the garage electrician and trackside aerodynamic performance engineer. It was worth it as both cars got the new spec. In an incredibly tight midfield, getting that job done was pivotal in getting both drivers into Q3.

Keeping it clean

The value of a clean weekend really cannot be over-emphasised. The team got through practice having completed the planned programme and required mileage. It meant both drivers went into qualifying in confident mood, and duly produced the team's best qualifying performance since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017. 

Do I know you?

The paddock featured quite a few familiar faces, many of them with a McLaren connection. Designer Gordon Murray could be seen chatting with Gerhard Berger, and Mika Häkkinen was in the garage at his genial best, chatting with some of the young lads – now not so young lads – who had worked on his cars. And, of course, we had Fernando around all weekend, in preparation for the post-race test. 

Braving the elements

We’re used to blazing sunshine in Bahrain. Sunday was different, with dark clouds overhead and a 30-km/h wind gusting across the track. The circuit dips and swirls, with the start/finish straight at the bottom of the hill, and Turns Four and 13 at the top. The wind direction on Sunday blew down the hill. It provoked very late braking into Turn Four – but made the downhill corners  – Turns Six and Eight – incredibly difficult, the cars pushed by a tailwind changing in strength from lap to lap.

Split

One-stop or two-stop strategy? Pirelli’s three hardest compounds were a little harder than the medium, soft and supersoft that featured last season, suggesting one stop – but track position was less important with a more powerful DRS, and an extra DRS zone favouring two stops. Pirelli said their data pointed to a one-stop race, but everyone who finished ran two stops.

Taking the opportunity

While the season opener at Albert Park didn’t provide many overtaking opportunities, Sakhir was the opposite. Having been hit on the first lap, and dropping back to P13, Lando made six passes during the race on his way back to P6. He passed Alex Albon on lap two; Pierre Gasly on lap seven; Kevin Magnussen on lap nine, Sergio Pérez on lap 14; Kimi Räikkönen on lap 26; and Daniel Ricciardo on lap 44.

The sound of success

A good pit-stop isn’t something you see, it’s something you hear. In the heat and confusion of the pitlane, a good pit-stop has just two noises: the first is four wheel nuts coming off in unison; the second is four being tightened. If there isn’t the noise of a lone gun anywhere in the process, then you know you've got a good one.