In these last few days of boredom, the (hopefully) last thing I did to keep myself busy was compare '22 and '23 best laps in testing, where imo the variables significantly drop rather than comparing different teams.
RED BULL: RB18 vs RB19
The RB19 seems to be creating more efficienct downforce than the already ultra efficient RB18: the fastest lap this year was achieved with a lower DWF rear wing, and that could explain part of the gap in max speed. But despite a lower DWF wing, the RB19 has higher cornering speeds in the medium and high speed sections.
The C5 compound used in 2022 seems to be making the difference in the slow speed so comparisons are difficult there, but traction seems to be much improved in 2023
FERRARI: SF23 vs F175
The two very different rear wing spec's make this the most difficult comparison between the three, but you can see how much of a jump was made in straight line speed. +20, +10, +6, +10 on the four main straights of the Sakhir circuit: very different car.
Despite the much lower DWF setup, Ferrari kept their very competitive speed in medium and high speed sections.
What needs to be worked on through mechanical setup (not yet optimized) is the low speed stuff. A better balance could also guarantee a better tyre management
MERCEDES: W14 vs W13
In terms of lap time the W14 is the car that made the biggest jump, but it also started from a much weaker base. Currently the W14 has improved in all areas but drag will probably still be a problem: the RB18 and the SF23 improved more there.
With a similar DWF rear wing, I would've expected also more improvements in the high speed where the W13 wasn't strong 12 months ago, while the low and medium speed improvements seem to be quite good. The impression is that the W14 still lacks some lap time compared to the top 2