2023 F1 Testing statistics

From daily results to the fastest lap times, fastest sector times and most laps completed, here are all the facts and statistics from pre-season 2023 F1 testing!

DAY 1 TESTING REPORT

Drivers were keen to get back on track as the first testing session began at Bahrain International Circuit. George Russell was first in the queue in his W14 at the end of the pit lane when the morning session got underway.

Just seven minutes into the session, the first red flag was shown. Having just left the pit lane, Felipe Drugovich came to a stop on track at Turn 4 with electrical issues.

Following a 25 minute stoppage as the Aston Martin was cleared and brought back to the pits, the teams got on with their run plans. 602 laps were completed across the first four hours of testing, with Alex Albon completing the most laps. After his early setback, Drugovich completed the fewest laps but still managed 40 tours of the track.

The morning session passed with little in the way of incident – though Nico Hulkenberg did lose some bodywork. The Haas driver scraped the front right of his floor as he ran over the circuit’s kerbs. Alpine also suffered minor issues with their wing mirrors, which needed to be taped up.

Red Bull were the only team not to swap drivers over the lunchtime break and, as a result, Max Verstappen was first out on track in the afternoon session. Aston Martin faced further delays when Fernando Alonso was halted in the pits with floor damage, costing him more time than he would’ve liked. The Spaniard got back out on track though and raised eyebrows with a lap time that was just 0.029s slower than pacesetter Verstappen.

McLaren also found themselves consigned to the pit lane, issues with their wheel brows – which required plenty of tape and heat guns – cost Lando Norris some valuable running in the afternoon.

674 laps were completed in the afternoon session, with Verstappen completing the most. A mammoth stint from the Dutchman took Red Bull’s total for the day to 157 laps. There were no red flags or stoppages in the final four hours of running.

2023 F1 TESTING DAY 1 RESULT

DAY 2 TESTING REPORT

Fernando Alonso was first out on track as the pit lane opened for the second day of F1 testing. With Lance Stroll’s participation in the first race still in doubt, the Spaniard spent the whole of Day 2 in the car.

While Williams’ Logan Sargeant spent some time in the pits due to a wheel hub issue, the American set the second-fastest time of the morning, just 0.063 seconds slower than the pacesetter. Sargeant would be the driver to complete the most laps over the course of the day, his tally standing at 154 laps when the chequered flag was waved. It was Carlos Sainz who set the fastest time in the morning, with a 1:32.486.

While there were no red flags due to stoppages in the morning session, there were two red flags due to systems checks. Between the two stoppages – the latter of which brought the morning session to an end – the drivers partook in a practice standing start. Confusion as the lights went out led to a near miss on the grid between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, with the Ferrari almost running into the back of the stationary McLaren.

Max Verstappen took over from Sergio Perez in the Red Bull after lunch break. While the Mexican’s focus was clearly not on lap times, Verstappen obliterated Sainz’s fastest lap time from the morning within his first hour on track. Verstappen lowered the benchmark to a 1:31.650.

However, it was Zhou Guanyu who set the fastest lap of the day, with a 1:31.610 on the softest tyre compound. His time was just over a second away from the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix pole lap time; a sign perhaps that 2023 machinery will, after all, be faster than its 2022 counterpart.

Mercedes’ afternoon came to a premature end with George Russell stopping trackside at the exit of Turn 10, causing only the second genuine red flag period of the test. Russell’s issues were caused by a hydraulic problem.

2023 F1 TESTING DAY 2 RESULT

DAY 3 TESTING REPORT

For the second day in a row, Aston Martin were first on track as the final day of testing began. Felipe Drugovich was keen to get laps on the board in his final outing in testing, with all signs pointing to the Brazilian standing in for the injured Lance Stroll at the season-opening 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Just seven minutes into the session, the red flag was shown due to a sensor falling off Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. It was soon retrieved by a marshal, with plenty of on-track running after the short stoppage. There was a further red flag later in the session, with Valtteri Bottas coming to a stop at Turn 8 just an hour before the lunch break.

McLaren endured more issues with their wheel brows, needing time in the garage to strengthen their front winglets; an issue which the team say will be fixed in time for the first race of the season. When on track, Oscar Piastri spun the MCL60 at Turn 10 in the first real spin we’ve seen in testing this year.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell exchanged the fastest lap time through the morning. Russell ran on the softest C5 tyres, the first time Mercedes has done so in the test, while Leclerc ran on C4 tyres. It was the Ferrari which ended up on top of the timesheets at the end of the morning session with a 1:31.024 – half a second off his pole time from the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The afternoon session saw the lap times lowered further as the leading teams donned softer tyre compounds. Sergio Perez ended the day fastest, setting a 1:30.305 on the C4 tyres.

2023 F1 TESTING DAY 3 RESULT

2023 F1 TESTING STATISTICS

FASTEST LAP BY EACH DRIVER

The table below shows the fastest lap time set by each driver over the three days of pre-season 2023 F1 testing.

FASTEST LAP BY EACH TEAM

The table below shows the fastest lap time set by each team over the three days of pre-season 2023 F1 testing.

FASTEST SECTOR TIMES BY DRIVER

The table below shows the fastest sector times set by each driver over the three days of pre-season F1 testing in 2023

FASTEST SECTOR TIMES BY TEAM

The table below shows the fastest sector times set by each team over the three days of pre-season F1 testing in 2023

DRIVER LAP COUNT

The table below shows the total number of laps completed by each driver in each session across the three days of pre-season F1 testing in 2023.

TEAM LAP COUNT

The table below shows the total number of laps completed by each team in each session across the three days of pre-season F1 testing in 2023.

CAUSES OF RED FLAGS

Here is a list of every time that track action was stopped during pre-season 2023 F1 testing:

DAY 1

Just seven minutes into the first session, Felipe Drugovich stopped on track at Turn 4 having just left the pit lane for the first time. The session resumed after a 25 minute delay.

DAY 2

There were two red flags towards the end of the morning session on Day 2 but both of those were due to systems tests. Between the two red flag periods, the drivers took part in a practice start procedure, which included a formation lap, an aborted start, another formation lap and a standing start.

Midway through the second afternoon session, George Russell caused the second genuine red flag period of the test. He ground to a halt with hydraulic issues at the exit of Turn 10.

DAY 3

Seven minutes into the final day of testing, a sensor fell off Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. The red flag was shown while the debris was retrieved by a marshal.

A second red flag of the morning session was shown when Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo came to a stop at Turn 8.

Further red flags came as a result of systems checks towards the end of each session.