F1 2022 preview: What pre-season testing tells us

We’re just days away from the opening race of the 2022 F1 season. This year brings in the championship’s biggest design revolution in decades, with the new rules aimed at promoting closer racing. Changes include the reintroduction of ground effects, more simplified front wings, bigger rear wings, wheel-wake control devices, a simplified suspension and larger 18-inch tyres. And teams have adopted quite diverse interpretations of these new rules.

Pre-season testing recently concluded at Bahrain, the same venue where the first race of the season will be held. Although we’ll only know the true potential of all the teams once the actual race weekend gets underway, testing does give us some early indicators of the pecking order.

Red Bull Racing

Drivers: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

Engine: Red Bull (Honda)

Laps completed in Bahrain: 320

Red Bull debuted an updated car, with significantly reshaped sidepods, on the very last day of testing. The result? Reigning world champion Max Verstappen topped the time sheets on both – single lap and long run pace. The team also seems to have found a decent solution to the ‘porpoising’ effect (referring to the cars bouncing at high speeds) plaguing the new ground effect cars.

Of course, testing is only half the story, especially when we’re heading into a season with such dramatic rule changes. But there seems to be a quiet air of confidence within the Red Bull camp. And after the controversial fashion in which the title was decided last year, Verstappen – who has now committed to Red Bull till 2028 – will be keen to prove a point.

Mercedes

Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

Engine: Mercedes

Laps completed in Bahrain: 385

The W13’s almost non-existent sidepods were the talk of the paddock during Bahrain pre-season testing. But while the Silver Arrows topped the mileage charts, they didn’t really make an impression with their lap times. Overall, it looks like the car is struggling with porpoising and balance, leading both Lewis Hamilton and new teammate George Russell to suggest that as it currently stands, they don’t have the pace to fight for wins.

Sure, Mercedes could just be downplaying expectations. But the team also has all the resources to stage a turnaround; just take a look at 2021 where they bounced back from a troubled pre-season test to win the opening race. With eight consecutive constructors’ titles, Mercedes are still very much the frontrunners.

Ferrari

Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz

Engine: Ferrari

Laps completed in Bahrain: 349

To put it simply, Ferrari look strong after pre-season testing. Not only did the team deliver consistently quick lap times, but they also appeared to have strong reliability. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz together ended the six days of testing with the most mileage out of all the teams (788 laps or 13 Bahrain GPs, to be precise).

The Italian squad has also introduced some major power unit updates this year, in a bid to close the horsepower gap to Mercedes and Red Bull.

McLaren

Drivers: Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo

Engine: Mercedes

Laps completed in Bahrain: 200

McLaren's Barcelona testing was promising, but it was a very different story in Bahrain. They spent most of it in the garage due to brake overheating issues. The team flew in parts to allow Lando Norris to complete 90 laps on the final day, but this is just a band aid rather than a proper solution.

But there’s good news: the MCL36 does look like a good package and doesn’t seem to be affected by porpoising as much as some other teams. It’s just a matter of sorting out the reliability concerns. And for those wondering about Daniel Ricciardo, he’s been cleared to go racing in Bahrain. The Australian had to sit out all three days of testing after contracting COVID-19 last week.

Aston Martin

Drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll

Engine: Mercedes

Laps completed in Bahrain: 339

It was a relatively quiet pre-season test for Aston Martin. The team didn’t set any headline grabbing laps, but they also didn’t run into too many major issues. It looks like it’s going to be a tight battle between the midfield teams this season, and if Aston Martin plays their cards right, they’ll be hoping to emerge as the best of the rest. Sebastian Vettel backed that up, stating the team has “found a way we can go racing”.

There are also some major management changes at the team – former BMW motorsport chief Mike Krack replaces Otmar Szafnauer as team principal, and ex-McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has also been hired as CEO. 

This weekend, the team's reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg will be driving in place of Sebastian Vettel, who has tested positive for COVID-19.

AlphaTauri

Drivers: Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda

Engine: Red Bull Racing (Honda)

Laps completed in Bahrain: 371

AlphaTauri were another team to quietly go about their business during testing, with no big reliability concerns. Red Bull’s sister outfit had the third highest mileage out of all the teams and even seemed to get a handle on the whole porpoising issue at the end.

In Pierre Gasly, they have a proven and experienced driver, and Yuki Tsunoda says he has gained more confidence behind the wheel too. For now, it looks like they’ll be in the midfield mix with the likes of Aston Martin and Alpine.

Alpine

Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon

Engine: Renault

Laps completed in Bahrain: 299

Alpine gave us a brief glimpse of their potential, with Fernando Alonso setting the third-fastest lap on the final day. But you have to factor in that the lap was set on lower fuel and second softest tyre compound.

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane says he’s hopeful the team will be able to break into the Q3 fight in Bahrain. He also added that Alpine has figured a workaround for the porpoising issue. “We can switch that on and off now. We know what makes that happen and what stops it,” he said after the final day of testing.

Alfa Romeo

Drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou

Engine: Ferrari

Laps completed in Bahrain: 343

Alfa Romeo is the only team on the grid to have an all-new driver line-up, with Valtteri Bottas joining from Mercedes, alongside F2 graduate Guanyu Zhou. After a difficult time in Barcelona, the team enjoyed a more positive Bahrain test with 343 laps onboard.

Bottas did stop twice on track though, this time due to hydraulics issues. The Finn has admitted that reliability is still the team’s biggest concern.

Haas

Drivers: Mick Schumacher, Kevin Magnussen

Engine: Ferrari

Laps completed in Bahrain: 253

It’s been a frenetic few days for Haas. After scrapping its deal with Uralkali, the American team opted to replace Nikita Mazepin with Kevin Magnussen. And then freight delays forced them to miss the first morning of Bahrain testing. However, the FIA did give them some extra track time to make up for the lost time.

The VF-22 was bogged down by mechanical issues, but Haas was able to fix them rather quickly. And they’ve certainly grabbed some attention with quick lap times – Mick Schumacher set the second-fastest lap time, while Magnussen set the 10^th fastest one. If testing is anything to go by, Haas looks primed for a stronger 2022.

Williams

Drivers: Nicholas Latifi, Alexander Albon

Engine: Mercedes

Laps completed in Bahrain: 258

Williams grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons during testing after Nicholas Latifi’s car went up in flames due to the rear brakes overheating. The team lost an entire day’s worth of valuable testing time due to this.

However, they still racked up decent mileage on the other two days. F1 returnee Alex Albon enjoyed a relatively trouble-free test and seems to have settled in well at his new team.

The 2022 F1 season gets underway this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit. Who do you think will win the opening race? Tell us in the comments section.

Also see:

2022 F1 sprint races: What’s new for 2022?