‘All Set for Another Test of W16’ – Toto Previews the Bahrain GP

‘Positives’ From Solid Suzuka

The team backed up our encouraging start to the season in Australia and China with another haul of points in Japan, maintaining the strongest start to a campaign since 2021.

But Toto says there was the potential for more in Suzuka.

“Japan was a case of what might have been,” says Toto.

“We showed good pace throughout practice but failed to translate that into our qualifying performance. That hurt our chances of claiming a strong result on Sunday.

“Suzuka is a difficult circuit to overtake at and, with the race being a comfortable one-stop, there were limited opportunities to move forward.

“There are positives we can take from the weekend though. The car once again showed potential and, if we had executed more cleanly, a podium was a possibility.”

Great Dane

From the simulator to Sakhir, there will be a new driver behind the wheel of W16 on Friday morning.

“Contributing to our weekend will be our Reserve Driver, Fred Vesti,” says Toto.

“He will jump in George's car for FP1, fulfilling the first of two rookie sessions we need to run this year.

“Through his work in the simulator, Fred has driven more miles in the W16 than any of our other drivers. He has played an important role in its ongoing development and performance with his work in Brackley.

“This is another good opportunity for him to do that but this time on the race track.”

Racing for Real

There’s a reason F1 uses Bahrain as its winter testing location. The 5.4km layout puts a race car through its paces.

“Bahrain will be another test of the progress we have made with this year's car,” says Toto.

“It is a rear limited circuit, an abrasive surface, and typically we see hot track temperatures.

“That makes it tough on the tyres and is the type of track we struggled at last year.”