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2022 Bahrain Test
Sakhir1
Test Information
Date 1012 March 2022
Location Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain
Lap length 5.412 km (3.364 mi)
Fastest Lap
Driver Netherlands Max Verstappen
Team Austria Red Bull
Time Day Laps
1:31.720 3 53
Testing Guide
Previous
2022 Barcelona Test
Next
2022 Abu Dhabi Test

The 2022 Bahrain Test (officially the Formula 1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2022) is the second of two pre-season tests ahead of the 2022 Formula One season, staged at the Bahrain International Circuit between 10 to 12 March 2022.[1] All ten entrants to the 2022 season are taking part.[2]


Background[]

Following the previous test, a number of teams are expected to introduce aero upgrades to their cars and carry them over to the opening race of the season which is to take place at the same location a week after. A prominent issue found in the new 2022 cars is "porpoising", the name describes a car mimicking the movement of a porpoise as it travels through water.

Porpoising is a phenomenon where the cars bounce up and down on the straights at high speed. This is caused by the design of the new cars being mostly dependent on "ground-effects", which makes use of a three-dimensional undercarraige, or floor, to create the majority of a car's downforce. As the car's speed increases, the aerodynamic devices in the car's floor pulls it down and compresses the suspension. As this compression surpasses a point where it reduces enough of the airflow under the car, the effects of the downforce will be reduced, which causes the car to lift back up. When this lifting happens, the downforce gets resurrected and will want to compress the suspension downwards again. This cycle repeats itself, which makes the car look like a porpoise as it bounces up and down the circuit.

Not only does porpoising make these newer generation cars look silly, it also negatively affects the balance of the car making it difficult for drivers to control the car. Moreover, it causes vibrations, which obstructs the drivers' visibility; a potential safety concern. Teams are actively working on solutions for this issue.

Following Russia's invasion on Ukraine since February 24, Haas announced on March 5 that they have terminated their contract with driver Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali. A couple days later, Haas confirmed Pietro Fittipaldi will be testing for them in Bahrain, but they were still considering other options for the full-time race seat.[3] On the eve to the start of this test, Haas announced they will be bring back Kevin Magnussen to fill the seat vacated by Mazepin.

Teams and Drivers[]

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2022 Bahrain Test is shown in the table below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Oracle Red Bull Racing Red Bull RB18 RBPT RBPTH001 1.6L V6t P
3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo United Kingdom McLaren F1 Team McLaren MCL36 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
4 United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren F1 Team McLaren MCL36 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
5 Germany Sebastian Vettel United Kingdom Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team Aston Martin AMR22 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
6 Canada Nicholas Latifi United Kingdom Williams Racing Williams FW44 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
10 France Pierre Gasly Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri AlphaTauri AT03 RBPT RBPTH001 1.6L V6t P
11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Oracle Red Bull Racing Red Bull RB18 RBPT RBPTH001 1.6L V6t P
14 Spain Fernando Alonso France BWT Alpine F1 Team Alpine A522 Renault E-Tech RE22 1.6L V6t P
16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
18 Canada Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team Aston Martin AMR22 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen United States Haas F1 Team Haas VF-22 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri AlphaTauri AT03 RBPT RBPTH001 1.6L V6t P
23 Thailand Alexander Albon United Kingdom Williams Racing Williams FW44 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
24 China Guanyu Zhou Switzerland Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Alfa Romeo C42 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
31 France Esteban Ocon France BWT Alpine F1 Team Alpine A522 Renault E-Tech RE22 1.6L V6t P
44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W13 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
47 Germany Mick Schumacher United States Haas F1 Team Haas VF-22 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
51 Brazil Pietro Fittipaldi United States Haas F1 Team Haas VF-22 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
55 Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W13 Mercedes F1 M13 1.6L V6t P
77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Alfa Romeo C42 Ferrari 066/7 1.6L V6t P
Source:[4][3]

Driver Schedules[]

Ricciardo tested positive for COVID-19 and hence, missed the entire testing session altogether. Use the button below to display table that shows when a driver was out on track.

Show Driver Schedules
Constructor Day 1
AM
Day 1
PM
Day 2
AM
Day 2
PM
Day 3
AM
Day 3
PM
Alfa Romeo Zhou Bottas Bottas Zhou Zhou Bottas
AlphaTauri Gasly Tsunoda Gasly Tsunoda
Alpine Ocon Alonso Ocon Alonso
Aston Martin Vettel Stroll Vettel Stroll Stroll Vettel
Ferrari Leclerc Sainz Leclerc Sainz Sainz Leclerc
Haas DNP Fittipaldi Schumacher Magnussen Magnussen Schumacher
McLaren Norris Norris Norris
Mercedes Hamilton Russell Russell Hamilton Hamilton Russell
Red Bull Pérez Verstappen Pérez Verstappen
Williams Albon Latifi Latifi Albon

Day-by-Day[]

Day One[]

Due to a late arriving freight shipment, Haas did not participate in the morning session. Since it isn't their fault they had to miss out on 4-hours of precious testing time, they will be allowed to run later into the evening to make up the lost hours.[5] There was a lot of attention brought towards Mercedes for their W13's sidepods, or lack thereof.[6] Sergio Pérez got the most mileage with 70 laps completed. Lando Norris had to sit out for most of the morning due to issues with his McLaren MCL36's new brake parts. Overall, the morning session saw Charles Leclerc set the fastest time, followed by Alex Albon then Sebastian Vettel.

The afternoon session saw Sergio Pérez add 67 laps to keep his record for having completed the most laps; 137 laps, 741.44 km (460.71 mi). Pietro Fittipaldi got his first run with the new 2022 Haas VF-22. There were two red flags that interrupted the afternoon session; the first was caused by Lance Stroll's aero rake malfunctioning and causing damage to his Aston Martin AMR22 and the second was caused by Perez who beached his Red Bull RB18 in the gravel trap during the last 10 minutes of the day, which resulted in the session not being resumed and ending under a red flag.

Pierre Gasly

Overall, Pierre Gasly (pictured right) was fastest on the first day of the 2022 Bahrain Test. Gasly was half a second faster than both the Ferrari drivers when he used the softest tyre compound after the sun went down and the track cooled. Gasly effectively denied a Ferrari one-two from Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who were second and third fastest, respectively.

Results[]

The full results from the first day of the 2022 Bahrain Test are outlined below:

Day 1 Results
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time Gap
S1 S2
1 10 France Pierre Gasly Italy AlphaTauri-RBPT 102 1:37.888 C2 1:33.902 C5 Fastest
2 55 Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. Italy Ferrari 52 1:34.359 C3 +0.457s
3 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Ferrari 64 1:34.531 C3 +0.629s
4 18 Canada Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 50 1:34.736 C3 +0.834s
5 23 Thailand Alex Albon United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 104 1:35.070* C4 +1.168s
6 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 49 1:37.580 C4 1:35.356 C2 +1.454s
7 24 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 66 1:35.495 C3 +1.593s
8 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 39 1:35.706 C3 +1.804s
9 63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes 59 1:35.941 C3 +2.039s
10 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Red Bull 137 1:35.977* C3 +2.075s
11 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes 62 1:36.365 C3 +2.463s
12 14 Spain Fernando Alonso France Alpine-Renault 24 1:36.745 C3 +2.843s
13 31 France Esteban Ocon France Alpine-Renault 42 1:36.768 C2 +2.866s
14 24 China Guanyu Zhou Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 54 1:37.164 C3 +3.262s
15 51 Brazil Pietro Fittipaldi United States Haas-Ferrari 47 1:37.422 C2 +3.520s
Source:[7][8]
  • Bold indicates a driver's best time from the day.
  • C3 Indicates what tyre compound a driver set their fastest time on.
  • * Times were only given during the afternoon session if a driver improved.

Day Two[]

Most of the teams decided to simulate long runs, where they aimed to simulate an actual race by driving consistent laps to gauge race pace. Halfway through the morning session, a fire broke out at the rear of the Williams FW44, which required Latifi to stop on track and trigger a red flag. After his car was towed back to the pit lane, the session was resumed at 12:16 local time. Vettel had to stop his Aston Martin AMR22 on track for an unknown reason but did not trigger a red flag since he pulled off to an unused part of the circuit. Haas experienced an exhaust problem, which ended their morning session early; they expect to address it in time for the afternoon session where Kevin Magnussen will take the wheel. In the closing moments, there was a planned testing of the race control systems which saw a red flag. There was also a practice standing start, but this was aborted because Bottas was told to shut off his Alfa Romeo C42 due to an oil leak. Overall, the morning saw Ocon set the fastest time on the C4 tyres, followed by Leclerc then Verstappen.

The afternoon session did not see Latifi make it back out since Williams was unable to get the fire damage fixed. They issued a statement saying it was a minor problem that caused the fire. There were some drivers that showed off their race craft with some overtaking and defending. McLaren confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo's absence from testing was due to feeling ill and confirmed with to be COVID-19 with a positive PCR test.

Carlos Sainz

Overall, the second day saw Carlos Sainz topping the timing screens on the C4 tyres with a 1:33.532. He was followed by Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. Yuki Tsunoda accumulated the most mileage with 119 laps completed. However, Magnussen set the overall fastest time later with 1:33.207 on the same tyre compound as Sainz, after Haas were given permission to have an extra hour of running having missed the morning of Day 1 testing.[9]

Results[]

The full results from the second day of the 2022 Bahrain Test are outlined below:

Day 2 Results
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time Gap
S1 S2
1 55 Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. Italy Ferrari 60 1:33.532 C4 Fastest
2 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull 86 1:35.874 C2 1:34.011 C4 +0.479s
3 18 Canada Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 69 1:34.064 C4 +0.532s
4 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes 47 1:38.585 C2 1:34.141 C5 +0.609s
5 31 France Esteban Ocon France Alpine-Renault 111 1:34.276* C4 +0.744s
6 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Ferrari 54 1:34.366 C3 +0.834s
7 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 59 1:36.354 C2 1:34.609 C3 +1.077s
8 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 46 1:36.020 C3 +2.488s
9 20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen United States Haas-Ferrari 39 1:36.505 C3 +2.973s
10 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Italy AlphaTauri-Honda 119 1:36.802* C3 +3.270s
11 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 25 1:36.987 C2 +3.455s
12 47 Germany Mick Schumacher United States Haas-Ferrari 23 1:37.846 C2 +4.314s
13 63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes 66 1:38.585 C2 +5.053s
14 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 12 1:39.845 C2 +6.313s
15 24 China Guanyu Zhou Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 48 1:39.984 C2 +6.452s
Source:[10][11]
  • Bold indicates a driver's best time from the session.
  • C3 Indicates what tyre compound a driver set their fastest time on.
  • * Times were only given during the afternoon session if a driver improved.

Day Three[]

The final day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit saw Kevin Magnussen and his Haas VF-22 out on track an hour early. Then later in the afternoon, Schumacher will run two hours later into the evening than the rest of the teams. These three extra hours, in addition to the one extra hour on the second day that saw Magnussen set the fastest time yesterday[9], will make up for the lost time that plagued the Haas team due to their late cargo.

In the closing moments of the afternoon session, the failed starting light systems test from the second day was carried out successfully. We got the infamous "Lights out and away we go" from the Sky Sports commentators, however, there was no wheel-to-wheel action into the first turn.

Max Verstappen

Officially, the top three times were recorded by Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Fernando Alonso. However, the extra two hours that Mick Schumacher ran after the official session ended, slots him into second place with a 1.32.241. It is unknown which tyre compound he set his fastest lap or how many additional laps he ran late into the evening.

Results[]

The full results from the third day of the 2022 Bahrain Test are outlined below:

Day 3 Results
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time Gap
S1 S2
1 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull 53 1:31.720 C5 Leader
2 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Ferrari 51 1:32.415 C4 +0.695s
3 14 Spain Fernando Alonso France Alpine-Renault 122 1:35.328 C4 1:32.698 C4 +0.978s
4 63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes 71 1:32.759 C5 +1.039s
5 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 68 1:32.985 C3 +1.265s
6 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Italy AlphaTauri-RBPT 57 1:33.002 C5 +1.282s
7 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Red Bull 43 1:33.105 C4 +1.385s
8 47 Germany Mick Schumacher United States Haas-Ferrari 57 1:33.151 C3 +1.431s
9 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 39 1:35.504 C3 1:33.191 C3 +1.471s
10 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 81 1:33.821 C4 +2.101s
11 24 China Guanyu Zhou Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 82 1:33.959 C4 +2.239s
12 10 France Pierre Gasly Italy AlphaTauri-RBPT 91 1:34.865 C4 +3.145s
13 55 Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. Italy Ferrari 68 1:34.905 C5 +3.185s
14 23 Thailand Alexander Albon United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 18 1:35.171 C3 +3.451s
15 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 73 1:35.634 C3 +3.914s
16 18 Canada Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 53 1:36.029 C3 +4.309s
17 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes 78 1:36.217 C5 +4.497s
18 20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen United States Haas-Ferrari 38 1:38.616 C2 +6.896s
Source:[12][13]
  • Bold indicates a driver's best time from the session.
  • C3 Indicates what tyre compound a driver set their fastest time on.
  • * Times were only given during the afternoon session if a driver improved.

Overall Times[]

Daniel Ricciardo did not participate due to testing positive for COVID-19. Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen ran laps outside of the official testing hours, so the number of laps and tyre compounds used are not known. Other than that, see below for a compilated table of the best times for each driver across three days of testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2022 Formula One season.

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Day Laps Time Gap
1 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull 3 139 1:31.720 C5 Fastest
2 47 Germany Mick Schumacher United States Haas-Ferrari 3 80+ 1.32.241 C4 +0.521s
3 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Ferrari 3 169 1:32.415 C4 +0.695s
4 14 Spain Fernando Alonso France Alpine-Renault 3 146 1:32.698 C4 +0.978s
5 63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes 3 196 1:32.759 C5 +1.039s
6 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 3 159 1:32.985 C3 +1.265s
7 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda Italy AlphaTauri-RBPT 3 176 1:33.002 C5 +1.282s
8 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Red Bull 3 180 1:33.105 C4 +1.385s
9 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 3 147 1:33.191 C3 +1.471s
10 20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen United States Haas-Ferrari 2 77+ 1:33.207 C4 +1.487s
11 55 Spain Carlos Sainz, Jr. Italy Ferrari 2 180 1:33.532 C4 +1.812s
12 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 3 166 1:33.821 C4 +2.101s
13 10 France Pierre Gasly Italy AlphaTauri-RBPT 1 193 1:33.902 C5 +2.182s
14 24 China Guanyu Zhou Switzerland Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 3 184 1:33.959 C4 +2.239s
15 18 United Kingdom Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 2 103 1:34.064 C4 +2.344s
16 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes 2 187 1:34.141 C5 +2.421s
17 31 France Esteban Ocon France Alpine-Renault 2 153 1:34.276 C4 +2.556s
18 23 Thailand Alexander Albon United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 1 122 1:35.070 C4 +3.350s
19 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 3 85 1:35.634 C3 +3.914s
20 51 Brazil Pietro Fittipaldi United States Haas-Ferrari 1 47 1:37.422 C2 +5.702s

References[]

  1. 2022 pre-season testing dates in Barcelona and Bahrain confirmed | Formula 1® | https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-2022-pre-season-testing-dates-in-barcelona-and-bahrain-confirmed.3ZwPqa2c9GFqg7mFTDubau.html | Accessed on 26 Jan 2022
  2. Motorsport.com: F1 set to approve Barcelona and Bahrain 2022 test plan, https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/barcelona-bahrain-2022-f1-test-plan-set-for-approval/6638584/, retrieved on 7 December 2021
  3. 3.0 3.1 Haas confirms Pietro Fittipaldi for Bahrain test, motorsport.com, accessed on 7 Mar 2022
  4. Entry List: 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List | Federation Internationale de l'Automobile
  5. Haas Sunday test request rejected, can run longer in evenings - The Race (the-race.com)
  6. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mercedes-radical-sidepod-bahrain-test/8861900
  7. Pierre Gasly fastest on Day 1 of Official 2022 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain | Formula 1®
  8. F1 testing 2022 Bahrain day 1 - The Race (the-race.com)
  9. 9.0 9.1 ESPN: Kevin Magnussen fastest on F1 return; Ferrari hype builds ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix (espn.com), https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/33477505/kevin-magnussen-fastest-f1-return-ferrari-hype-builds-ahead-bahrain-grand-prix
  10. Carlos Sainz fastest on disrupted second day of 2022 pre-season testing in Bahrain | Formula 1®
  11. F1 testing 2022 Bahrain day 2 - The Race (the-race.com)
  12. 2022 F1 Official Pre-Season Testing Day 3 report and results: Verstappen sets blistering benchmark to go top on final day of 2022 pre-season testing | Formula 1®
  13. F1 testing 2022 Bahrain day 3 - The Race (the-race.com)

Navigation[]

V T E 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship
Teams Alfa RomeoAlphaTauriAlpineAston MartinFerrariHaasMcLarenMercedesRed BullWilliams
Engines FerrariMercedesRBPTRenault
Drivers 1 Verstappen • 3 Ricciardo • 4 Norris • 5 Vettel • 6 Latifi • 10 Gasly • 11 Pérez • 14 Alonso • 16 Leclerc • 18 Stroll • 20 Magnussen • 22 Tsunoda • 23 Albon • 24 Zhou • 27 Hülkenberg • 31 Ocon • 44 Hamilton • 45 de Vries • 47 Schumacher • 55 Sainz • 63 Russell • 77 Bottas
Team Reports Alfa RomeoAlphaTauriAlpineAston MartinFerrariHaasMcLarenMercedesRed BullWilliams
Driver Reports AlbonAlonsoBottasGaslyHamiltonHülkenbergLatifiLeclercMagnussenNorrisOconPérezRicciardoRussellSainzSchumacherStrollTsunodaVerstappende VriesVettelZhou
Other Drivers BuemiFittipaldiGiovinazziKubicaPiastridi RestaSchumacherVandoornede Vries
Cars Alfa Romeo C42AlphaTauri AT03Alpine A522Aston Martin AMR22Ferrari F1-75Haas VF-22McLaren MCL36Mercedes W13Red Bull RB18Williams FW44
Tyres Pirelli
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