Bahrain F1 Test Day 3: Verstappen and Red Bull show their hand
F1 NewsSaturday, 12 March 2022 at 20:03
Pre-season testing in Bahrain for the 2022 Formula 1 season was concluded today, with Max Verstappen fastest, showing what the RB18 can do.
Ferrari may have been the talk of the F1 town, but it was Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB18, that left a lasting mark on pre-season testing in Bahrain and a smile on Dr. Helmut Marko's face (clearly seen on the TV feed), as he took top spot at the end of the Day 3 of running, with a time of 1:31.720.
Charles Leclerc, was second in the Ferrari F1-75, almost seven tenths shy of the Dutchman, as third place went to Fernando Alonso in the Alpine, almost three tenths further down.
Mercedes' George Russell, the W13 being the worst car on "porpoising", was almost fourth behind Alonso over a second down on Verstappen's marker.
Fifth place was reserved to Alfa Romeo'a Valtteri Bottas, while sixth was occupied by AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.
Sergio Perez who was fastest in the morning session was relegated to seventh place as the times went tumbling in the afternoon session, the teams pushing more and running softer rubber.
Mick Schumacher was eighth, but his time may change, as Haas will have extra running after the session, while ninth belonged to Lando Norris in McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel rounded up the top ten for Aston Martin over two seconds off the top time.
It was Red Bull that demanded the attention of the paddock in the morning session, with the updated RB18 taking to the track with its new floor and chiseled side pods, which took some of the spotlight away from Mercedes' "no side pods" side pods for a change, especially when Sergio Perez put the car to good use going fastest of all in the AM.
Mercedes continued with their lackluster testing session, the W13 not seeming to be dialed in yet, with Lewis Hamilton already claiming they won't be fighting for wins yet. But with testing, no one can really tell, and Mercedes have a history of seeing up a smokescreen in testing to throw everyone off.
Haas' extra running update
Haas continued running after the afternoon session of Day 3 of Bahrain's pre-season testing reached the four-hour mark, as all other nine teams were instructed to stop running via a Red Flag.
The American outfit kept running with Mick Schumacher at the wheel of the VF22, racking up a total of 81 laps and upsetting the standings reported earlier, taking second place behind Max Verstappen with a lap time of 1:32.241.
Drivers of the final afternoon in Bahrain
Fernando Alonso, and Lando Norris remained on duty for Alpine and McLaren respectively, while all the other teams split their drivers' duties on the final day.
Lando Norris, whose team had a difficult time in Bahrain, with brake problems preventing the team from having a proper test, was asked about how the MCL36 developed from Barcelona to Bahrain.
"I suppose yes but sometimes no," he said. "Slow speed corners is where we struggle. When you look at Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari they are ahead of us.
"It is difficult. Things don’t show. We are still in a decent pace and place. We have a lot of work to do. We are working hard and we are working on these improvements. We are not as confident but we are still in business," Norris concluded.
Max Verstappen took over from Sergio Perez in the updated Red Bull RB18, as George Russell took the reigns of the W13 from Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 World Champion raising concerns, claiming his 2022 Silver Arrow is not a winner yet.
Charles Leclerc took Carlos Sainz's place in the cockpit of the F1-75, as Yuki Tsunoda took over from Pierre Gasly in AlphaTauri, while Alex Albon was running for Williams in the final testing afternoon in Bahrain.
Valtteri Bottas rounded up the test for Alfa Romeo, the Finn parking his C42 with a little half an hour of running remaining, and bringing out the Red Flag. His lap counter stopped at 68.
Mick Schumacher was the driver on duty for Haas, the young German expected to have quite a long session, as Haas were granted two extra hours of running to compensate for their missed first session on Day 1.
Schumacher had a moment mid session as he spun his car at the final corner and just before the pit entry which brought our a brief Red Flag.
Four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel was driving for Aston Martin in the afternoon, and spoke before that, in the lunchtime press conference.
Vettel talked about the "porpoising" they are facing with the new cars admitting that they "need to find the right compromise first" going on to say: "It is about managing to find the right set up and compromise.
"The cars are very stiff. It feels very different. It is a lot closer than it has been in the past. The cars are generally very heavy," he added.
Vettel also spoke of his new team boss Mike Krack and said: "I know him from my past. He is a great addition to the team. He developed very well. The role fits him and he will help us."
McLaren have Oscar Piastri on speed dial
Alpine announced that they are offering the services of their reserve driver Oscar Piastri to McLaren, should the Woking squad require the services of an extra driver. The Australian remains contracted to the French ream however.
With that announcement coming in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo testing positive for Covid-19, the announcement was naturally linked to the Australian's conditions, which McLaren moved to deny according to BBC F1.
Ferrari is a contender
Is the claim of Martin Brundle, the former F1 driver told Sky Sports F1: "The Ferrari is a benign car. The drivers just look more comfortable in the Ferrari than any other car apart from the Red Bull.
"I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that the aero package on the Red Bull took a significant step forward today," he said of the Red Bull upgrade.
"That Ferrari does have very good consistent pace," Brundle added. "That's a front runner, that's a contender, no doubt about it."
So will Red Bull and Ferrari be the teams fighting for top honors this year? Brundle knows a thing or two about a good F1 car, but Ferrari has a history of going fast in pre-season testing then ending up nowhere near the front once the going gets good.
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix cannot come soon enough. (
Additional reporting by Agnes Carlier
)Bahrain Day 3 times and laps covered (combined)
Bahrain Day 3 Team timings and lap count (combined)
(Timing graphics by Kevin Melro
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