What Did We Learn from the Pre-Season Test in Bahrain?

You’ll all be glad to know that it’s finally race week! After a long winter break, Formula 1 will finally be back on track this weekend in Bahrain for the opening round of the 2022 season. But before we get excited about Practice 1 this Friday, I want to share 5 things we learnt from the pre-season test in Bahrain.

1. Teams are definitely not showing their true potential

As is the case every year with testing, teams are for sure not showing what they’re capable of just yet, and I’m sure we won’t see that until Saturday afternoon during qualifying. Mercedes are being very vocal about their struggles, especially with porpoising and pace down the straights, however Sainz and Verstappen were quick to counter act this; the Spaniard said, “Hyping up the others, and then we come to the first race and they blow the competition away, which is typical.” With Mercedes having tested two different sidepod designs (one in Barcelona and one in Bahrain), only time will tell whether the new regulations have helped or hindered each team.

2. Ferrari appear to be one of the strongest teams on track so far

From finishing P6 in the Constructors standings in 2020, to steadily making their way back up the grid to a P3 finish last season, Ferrari not only had at least one driver finish near the top of the standings in every session, but they also had no major issues to report from their car and with pace and consistency on their side, they could be a force to be reckoned with.

3. Haas is the surprise of testing

Last year, we heard Haas mention multiple times how they weren’t going to develop their 2021 car, but instead were going to spend the majority of the time developing their 2022 car; they for sure haven’t disappointed. Although their freight plane was delayed, Haas were allowed extra hours of testing after everyone else due to this being out of their control, and Kevin Magnussen went fastest on Friday, with Mick Schumacher second fastest on Saturday after both testing sessions had finished. Of course, we must take into account the lack of other cars on track, but track temperature had clearly dropped, yet Haas were still setting these times. Maybe we could see them move up to the midfield and make a Q3 appearance in Saturday’s qualifying session?

4. Anything can happen

Who thought at the start of last week that we would be seeing Kevin Magnussen back on the Formula 1 grid this season under a multi-year contract with Haas? I certainly didn’t, and I’m sure neither did you! Then we saw Mercedes’ interesting new sidepod design, before Daniel Ricciardo unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19. It wouldn’t be Formula 1 if there wasn’t any drama before the season had even started.

5. We might see a shakeup in team order

‘El Plan,’ may quickly turn into ‘El Pain,’ for Alpine who, although ended last season on a high, appear to be having some issues with their new car this year. McLaren pined all of their testing onto Lando Norris, after Daniel Ricciardo contracted Covid and was therefore unable to partake, and their issue with braking may not be resolved before the first race on Sunday. I have no doubts we will see Red Bull at the front of the grid, with them also bringing a new sidepod design in Saturday’s session, and with Williams’ issue with Nicholas Latifi’s brakes catching fire, there is no saying whether that will be resolved before the race.

Round 1 of the 2022 Formula 1 Season will start this weekend in Bahrain, with Practice 1 at 12pm GMT on Friday and lights out at 3pm GMT on Sunday