Aston Martin update
We discovered another upgrade on the Aston Martin. Sebastian Vettel’s AMR22 has a new design for the mirror wings. Did you possibly copy something from Mercedes?
© Giorgio Piola
More pictures of the Mercedes …
… and you can find more snapshots from the route in our photo gallery. As usual, this will be regularly replenished with fresh images throughout the day.
New Haas design
The white Haas is history again, the US team has adjusted its design again after saying goodbye to main sponsor Uralkali. This is what the VF-22 will look like not only at the test in Bahrain but as planned for the entire season:
At the Mercedes…
… by the way, not only the side boxes were changed. They are the most noticeable, but among other things, the W13 has also got a new front wing. There was already speculation in Barcelona that the Silver Arrows would bring the largest update package to Bahrain. Meanwhile, Leclerc has moved up to P1 with a 1:37.0.
Mercedes illegal?
According to the colleagues from ‘auto motor und sport’, this claim comes at least from the direction of Red Bull. They quote team boss Christian Horner as saying: “The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations. For us, some parts are not legal.” So 2022 could be as controversial as 2021 – or even worse because of the new rules…
times
Perez currently leads with a 1:38.5. So the times are not really relevant yet. On the rear wing of the RB18 we see FloViz paint, so this is where the airflow is being checked. At first glance, there are no major updates to the Red Bull – at least not as radical as at Mercedes.
special helmet
Sebastian Vettel is driving with a special helmet design today. We probably don’t have to explain it separately, the message speaks for itself!
Here we go!
Then just have fun. The AlphaTauri is the first car on the track and is on the road with large measuring grids. We still know that from Barcelona. The first few minutes are used to collect data. There will be fast laps later. Of course we keep an eye on the times.
For comparison: The pole time in Bahrain last year was 1:28.997, the best test time a year ago at the same place was 1:28.960. That should give us a rough guide.
Hass is still missing
Don’t be surprised if we only see nine cars on the route in the morning: Haas had problems with the freight beforehand, so the first few hours will have to be skipped. Not optimal. Incidentally, according to our time, driving is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break after four hours.
As in Barcelona, there will be two press conferences during this break, which we will of course report on here in the ticker. We expect the following drivers and team bosses:
Zhou Guanyu
Nicholas Latifi
George Russell
Yuki Tsunoda
Max Verstappen
–
Mattia Binotto
Jost Capito
mike crack
Franz Tost
Toto Wolff
He is back again!
It’s probably the most surprising comeback of the year: Kevin Magnussen is back! The Dane benefits from Nikita Masepin’s exit and should be sitting in the Haas VF-22 for the first time tomorrow. In any case, he has already arrived in Bahrain. His old teammate Romain Grosjean is happy for the Dane. We do that too and of course we’re excited from a German perspective to see how Mick Schumacher will do against him!
Why Hamilton was absent yesterday
The Formula 1 drivers sent a clear signal against war yesterday evening. However, one familiar face was missing: Lewis Hamilton. For critics of the record champion, of course, found food. In the meantime, however, he has reported on social media and explained the background to his absence.
His flight was delayed, so he couldn’t be there in person, for which he apologizes. He also posted the hashtags #racingunited and #standwithukraine. A clear statement from the Brit even without being there in person.
Ricciardo is out
And we already have the first failure of the day to report. Daniel Ricciardo is not feeling well, which is why Lando Norris is taking over the entire day at McLaren today. But the Australian should be fit again tomorrow. Here is an overview of the pilots driving today:
Alfa Romeo: Zhou/Bottas
Aston Martin: Vettel/Stroll
Alpine: Ocon/Alonso
Haas: Fittipaldi
McLaren: Norris
Mercedes: Hamilton/Russell
Red Bull: Perez
AlphaTauri: Gasly
Ferrari: Leclerc/Sainz
Williams: Albon
Mercedes shows radical update
And we have already discovered the first major update: there are practically no more side boxes on the Mercedes W13! In this area, the Silver Arrows have once again “slimmed down” significantly. Here are the first shots of it, more will of course follow!
Here we go!
Hello and welcome to a new edition of our Formula 1 live ticker. The days of truth are beginning, today the second winter test in Bahrain starts. In the paddock, everyone agrees that this should be much more meaningful than the first in Spain because, among other things, it is expected that several teams will bring major updates.
We are there for you as usual until the evening hours, and Ruben Zimmerman accompanies you throughout the day. If you have any questions, suggestions or complaints, you can use our contact form. You can also find us this year at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and if you have any questions, you can also use our Twitter hashtag #FragMST. Here we go!
Here you can read our live ticker from Wednesday again!