F1 2022 Bahrain day 1 – Mercedes surprise, Gasly leads

Lap times Day 1 of pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly clocked the fastest time on the opening day of Formula 1’s second pre-season test in Bahrain.

Gasly set a time of 1:33.902s on the C5 tyres during the twilight evening session to finish four-tenths clear of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc’s time from the morning session was quick enough to ensure he wound up third overall.

Both Ferrari drivers clocked their best laps on the C3 tyre.

The afternoon session was disrupted by two stoppages.

The first was caused when an aero rake detached from Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and scattered debris on the track.

The second came in the closing stages, causing the day’s running to come to an early end, when Sergio Perez had a low-key spin through Turn 8.

On a cooldown lap, amid a trial Virtual Safety Car period, Perez lost the rear of the RB18 exiting Turn 8 and crept into the gravel trap, beaching the car.

Perez nonetheless amassed the most mileage on Thursday’s running as he racked up 138 laps.

Haas made up for lost time after its delayed start to the day, with test driver Pietro Fittipaldi completing 47 laps in the VF-22.

That left Haas only three laps shy of McLaren’s total for the day, with Lando Norris having a low-key outing, racking up just 50 laps.

Alpine also had a relatively subdued afternoon session as Fernando Alonso took over from Esteban Ocon but added only 24 laps to the team’s tally.

See Also : Mercedes, it’s a great car – Binotto said

See Also :  Mercedes F1 creates sensation in Bahrain

Mercedes surprised the Formula 1 paddock when Lewis Hamilton rolled out of the garage with brand new sidepods on the W13 as 2022 Formula 1 testing in Bahrain got underway.

The sidepods on the Mercedes car caused a storm in the paddock, with looks completely different to the sidepods used in Barcelona last time out. It seems likely we haven’t seen Mercedes at full power yet. 

The Mercedes car contained the most visible differences. Christian Horner allegedly said that parts were illegal on the Mercedes, but Red Bull Racing denied these comments.

Ross Brawn admitted it was an innovation Formula 1 didn’t see coming. 

Porpoising is still causing headaches for the teams. Midway through the morning session, Hamilton opted to run a push fast lap with a low ride height, but the car violently bounced up and down the home straight into turn one.

All teams seem to be struggling, whilst the Williams car was spotted with a skirt coming off the floor to try and solve the problem. 

F1 2022 Bahrain day 1 – Mercedes surprise, Gasly leads F1 2022 Bahrain day 1 – Mercedes surprise, Gasly leads

Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  for all the latest updates between issues.