After the winter tests and free practice sessions, now it is time to find out the truth and see which team and driver are the fastest. The time for conjectures or attempts to improve is over, the traffic light will turn green and there will be no respite until the grid is in order. We will know very soon who has done their homework correctly and who has rested on their laurels during the winter. We have seen details in this time of testing, but surely they were nothing more than mirages, and not because we are in Bahrain, in F1 everyone tends to save their cards until the right moment. But that moment has come, let’s see the real order and who is the brave one who manages to take over the first pole of the year, the first of a new era in the category.
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Red Bull debuts new pontoons on the third day of testing
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
The Austrian team has made an improvement to the pontoons and the floor
Pérez has set the best time as soon as he went out on the track
Red Bull has introduced a notable upgrade to the RB18. The Austrian team has debuted a new pontoon design on the third and final day of testing in Bahrain, as well as a new floor. ‘Checo’ Pérez has been in charge of testing it and apparently the results are positive.
It took the Mexican driver 50 minutes to get out on track this morning as the Red Bull engineers worked hard to introduce this update to the RB18. The Austrian team has released a nNew design of your car relating to the pontoons and the ground.
this update follows the Red Bull design philosophywhich was already seen in Barcelona and which they have also used in the first two days of testing in Bahrain, so it is not a great revolution, as if it were the Mercedes.
New pontoons and floor at the Red Bull
New sidepods and floor for Red Bulm #F1Testing # F1 pic.twitter.com/cLJRzP1RRu
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) March 12, 2022
Thus, the new pontoons are an evolution of the previous ones, which have a marked line in the center to achieve an aerodynamic improvement. Likewise, the upper part has also been modified, to redirect the flow of air.
As soon as you go out on the track with this new design Pérez has set the best time, so the sensations inside the Red Bull garage are very positive. For his part, Max Verstappen will be in charge of testing the new update this followingnoon.
The suspicions were real and have been confirmed: Mercedes has presented a revolutionary concept in the tests of Bahrain. And no, the replicas, the reproaches and the criticisms of the competition have not taken long to come out. Above all, by Red Bull. Although the team has tried to deny the statements of their team leader.
The Mercedes W13, the great revolution
The star team has done it once more. Many voices from the paddock assured that Mercedes was going to present itself in Sakhir with a groundbreaking design and the speculations have turned out to be true: the W13 of Lewis Hamilton and of George Russell it has no pontoons.
You have read correctly, the Bahrain car B has nothing to do with the version A shown in Barcelona. The Mercedes has completely slimmed down its image, recalling the absence of pontoons in the cars of past decades.
On a visual level, the change is impressive and has not left anyone indifferent. Now the sidepod cooling inlet has been narrowed and inverted. It’s just non-existent. To offset this radical philosophy, version 1.1 of the W13 has greatly increased the number of gills on the sidepods. Similarly, the radiators have been relocated for greater efficiency.
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The first complaints arrive
Mercedes’ metamorphosis in less than two weeks has been enormous and has raised the suspicions of rival teams. Specifically, Red Bull has been the most angry opponent. His team leader, Horner, has doubted the legality of the new German car, although the team itself has wanted to deny these statements. But they have arrived late and badly. Several journalists present in Sakhir have confirmed the words of the British manager.
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Beyond the controversies of the preseason and the possible use of legal loopholes in the regulation, this has not been the only novelty of Mercedes in the desert. The brand led by Toto Wolff has also introduced updates to both the flat bottom and the front wing.
However, not everything has been good news for the Germans in the first morning session. Hamilton has suffered a porpoising extreme and the mechanics had to correct it in the garage. In response, braces have been implemented towards the midway point of the session to prevent higher ground flexing and the British driver has started to bounce slightly inside his cockpit, although the roll has continued to be evident.
This is the Formula 1 of the present: only two hours of pre-season testing have had to pass before the Great Circus is already in a turmoil. And what we have left…
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David Coulthard: Max Verstappen really is that good / Formula 1
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
Long-time Scottish Formula 1 driver David Coulthard (50) is convinced: “Max Verstappen managed to get into Lewis Hamilton’s head in 2021. Nobody has done that before.”
The streaming provider Viaplay has published a documentary regarding Max Verstappen, “Verstappen – Lion Unleashed”, that is Verstappen, the unleashed lion.
The film also features 246-time GP competitor David Coulthard and the 50-year-old Scot is full of praise for the 24-year-old Red Bull Racing World Champion from the Netherlands.
13-time GP winner Coulthard discusses the dramatic final lap of the World Championship finale in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen threw himself at the leader Lewis Hamilton at Turn 5, the first opportunity Max had.
David Coulthard: “At that moment I knew – either it’s going to crash and both are out and Max is world champion, or he grabs Hamilton and is world champion. But I was honestly surprised at how early Verstappen attacked. That says everything regarding his fighting spirit. Whenever he even senses a gap, he attacks. And all of that makes him a worthy champion for me.”
“I think Max managed to get into Lewis Hamilton’s head in 2021. Nobody has done that before. Lewis is a fabulous racer and deserved to win in Abu Dhabi, but I also think Max deserves the title precisely because he has such a big fighting heart.”
Where does Coulthard – second in the 2001 World Championship behind Michael Schumacher – Max Verstappen settle among the best Formula 1 drivers? David says: “I didn’t feel mature until I was in my late 20s. I was best in my early 30s. Max, on the other hand, is only 24, so there’s a lot more to come.”
“Verstappen is surprisingly mature for his age. We shouldn’t forget that he debuted in Formula 1 when he was 17 and won his first Grand Prix when he was 18. All Formula 1 drivers are good, but few drivers are exceptional – and Max is such a driver.”
Barcelona-Test
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes W13, 1:19.138 min (Pirelli tire compound C5)
2. George Russell (GB), Mercedes W13, 1:19,233 min (C5)
3. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Red Bull Racing RB18-Red Bull, 1:19,556 min (C4)
4. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren MCL36-Mercedes, 1:19,568 (C4)
5. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari F1-75, 1:19.689 (C3)
6. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing RB18-Red Bull, 1:19,756 min (C3)
7. Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin AMR22-Mercedes, 1:19,824 (C5)
8. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri AT03-Red Bull, 1:19,918 (C4)
9. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari F1-75, 1:20,072 (C3)
10. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren MCL36-Mercedes, 1:20.288 (C4)
11. Alex Albon (T), Williams FW44-Mercedes, 1:20,318 (C4)
12. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams FW44-Mercedes, 1:20,699 (C4)
13. Fernando Alonso (E), Alpine A522-Renault, 1:21,242 (C3)
14. Nikita Mazepin (RUS), Haas VF-22-Ferrari, 1:21,512 (C3)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri AT03-Red Bull, 1:21,638 (C3)
16. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo C42-Ferrari, 1:21,885 (C3)
17. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin AMR22-Mercedes, 1:21,920 (C3)
18. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas VF-22-Ferrari, 1:21,949 (C3)
19. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine A522-Renault, 1:22,164 (C3)
20. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo C42-Ferrari, 1: 22.288 (C3)
21. Robert Kubica (PL), Alfa Romeo C42-Ferrari, 1:24,909 (C3)
Tire compounds: C5 (extra soft), C4 (soft), C3 (medium hard)
winter test drives
10th-12th March: Sakhir, Bahrain
Planned Formula 1 World Championship 2022
March 20: Sakhir, Bahrain
March 27: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
10. April: Melbourne, Australien
24. April: Imola, Italien
8. Mai: Miami, USA
May 22: Barcelona, Spain
29. Never: Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 12: Baku, Azerbaijan
19. June: Montreal, Canada
July 3: Silverstone, UK
July 10: Spielberg, Austria
July 24: Le Castellet, France
July 31: Budapest, Hungary
August 28: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
September 04: Zandvoort, Netherlands
11. September: Monza, Italien
October 2: Singapore
October 9: Suzuka, Japan
October 23: Austin, USA
October 30: Mexico City, Mexico
13. November: Sao Paulo, Brasilien
20. November: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi