Rob Garofall, McLaren, Bahrain International Circuit, 2024

First pictures from the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend

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Pictures from the build-up to the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.

Teams gathered for the first race of the new season at the track which held its inaugural race 20 years ago.

McLaren is taking the opportunity to run one of its historic cars, an MP4-23A of the type Lewis Hamilton used to win his first world championship in 2008. The team’s heritage driver Rob Garofall has been at the wheel.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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12 comments on “First pictures from the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend”

  1. Profile Photo

    Arthur Zakaryan (@arthurgd3)
    28th February 2024, 21:49

    I have to say that MP4-23A in that Vodafone livery was such a striking car. That era has to be one of my favorite.

  2. Profile Photo

    Broke1984 (@broke1984)
    28th February 2024, 21:58

    Bizarre seeing modern tyres instead of grooved on that McLaren

    1. Asd
      28th February 2024, 22:14

      Slick tyres came back in 2009, so it’s most likely that spec. Nothing modern about them.

      1. Profile Photo

        Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
        29th February 2024, 2:09

        That car is 2008 though.

        1. Asd
          29th February 2024, 10:57

          So 2008 is old and 2009 is modern?

  3. Chris Horton
    28th February 2024, 22:13

    Must be strange for Hamilton to see his old car being demonstrated by someone else.

    I’m struggling to think of a time when such a significant car has been demonstrated by another driver, DURING the original drivers career?

  4. Profile Photo

    Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
    28th February 2024, 23:55

    What did those rabbit’s ears do?! Even Adrian Newey had them (more like a dog’s ears) on the RB4 so they must have achieved something.

    1. Mog
      29th February 2024, 7:04

      Looks like they assist outwash?

    2. Edvaldo
      29th February 2024, 9:28

      Most cars had it late in the season.

      Ferrari was one of the exceptions.

  5. Profile Photo

    Jere (@jerejj)
    29th February 2024, 5:30

    Until I saw the images yesterday, I never expected MP4-23 to get brought into Bahrain for demo running purposes & Rob Garofall I’d never heard or known anything about before.

    1. Profile Photo

      Txizzle (@txizzle)
      29th February 2024, 13:31

      Same here, have you found any information about him? Is he related to some sponsors or organisers or such?

  6. Profile Photo

    Bryan (@ruz234014)
    29th February 2024, 16:57

    Maybe not a popular opinion, but those 2008 cars with the rabbit ears, strangely swooped front wings, all the added winglets, were some of the ugliest F1 cars imo.

Comments are closed.