Hulkenberg: No major cooling problems
At the season opener there were cooling problems on the AMR22. According to Hülkenberg, the race was “fairly” impaired. Before the second round of the season, however, he makes it clear: “We know what went wrong”
The problems are “under control” and not sustainable. So, at least in that regard, you don’t have to worry. How this looks in terms of performance remains to be seen.
Perez: It’s far from 100 percent
The Mexican believes Bahrain’s order need not be set in stone. All teams are still a long way from 100 percent and first have to fully understand the new cars.
So things could still change. Incidentally, Alonso also sees it similarly. Only in Imola, i.e. at the fourth race of the season, will you roughly know where you stand. Until then it will be difficult.
Verstappen: It’s better to have lots of small problems
And once again the world champion. He talks about the many little problems Red Bull had in Bahrain. In addition to the retirement, there was also a problem during the pit stop that damaged his steering.
He also had problems with overheating brakes. But Verstappen explains that it is better to have many small problems. Because these can all (hopefully) be fixed without much effort and quite quickly.
It is much worse to generally have a car that is not competitive.
Verstappen sticks to it: No Netflix with me!
Criticism of Netflix is growing. It’s no secret that the World Champion also has issues with the way certain things are portrayed in the documentary. Stefano Domenicali recently announced that he wanted to enter into a dialogue with the drivers.
But Verstappen explains that nothing will change for him for the time being. He still has no interest in participating in the documentary. He would find it better to just release an official season recap at the end of the year.
Without Netflix.
Schumacher: Everything is different at Haas
Bahrain didn’t go too well for himself, but the German explained that Magnussen’s P5 was of course a great result for the whole team. In any case, everyone is “super motivated” this year.
So no comparison to 2021, when the team was hopelessly at the end of the field. Schumacher explains optimistically that he expects a good season – also because there will be upgrades for the VF-22 this year.
He didn’t have that last year, Schumacher recalls. Let’s see when he makes it into the points for the first time.
Verstappen: Follow was a little better
The Dutchman is asked again about his duel with Leclerc in Bahrain. He explains that following and thus fighting was a little better. So you could fight two or three rounds – and not just one.
Despite this, he explains that Bahrain was not representative. Because the course is so hard on the tires, you slipped pretty quickly. It will be better on other routes.
In other words: Then perhaps even longer duels are possible.
Should Formula 1 race in Saudi Arabia?
Of course, this question also comes up again after there has recently been an increase in executions in Saudi Arabia. Ricciardo says Formula 1 should use its influence to bring about positive change.
Hamilton sees it similarly. There wasn’t much he could say to change the situation. And ultimately, Formula 1 has to decide where to drive. But of course you have to try to use your influence positively.
Other drivers from the round do not want to comment on the topic.
Ricciardo: I feel good
Vettel is still missing, Ricciardo has been back since Bahrain after his corona infection. “I feel okay,” he reports. Previously revealed that his illness had an impact on his Bahrain weekend.
At least physically, everything should be fine again in Saudi Arabia. The situation may be different when it comes to the performance of the car. McLaren seems to be in deep trouble at the moment…
Hamilton: Not enough time since Bahrain
The record champion reveals that “a lot of work” has happened at Mercedes in the past few days after the start. But will that be enough to be competitive in Saudi Arabia?
Hamilton emphasizes that three days between races is not enough time to really make a difference. But I’m encouraged by the fact that there aren’t that many bumps here.
“This track is super fast,” Hamilton recalls. The tires would also behave differently. Let’s see if Mercedes is at least a little closer to the top here.
Russell: Porpoising could become “dangerous”.
The Mercedes driver recalls that many of the straights on the street circuit in Jeddah are curved. And if porpoising occurs there, it could quickly become “dangerous,” he warns. But you have to wait and see.
Another point is the view. As is well known, the route was adjusted somewhat in order to improve it. However, visibility in the cars of the new Formula 1 generation is generally worse. That could be a factor here in particular.
Let’s hope there are no serious accidents.
Bottas: Starts will remain difficult
The Finn is skeptical about Alfa Romeo’s launches. At least since Bahrain, it’s no longer a secret that something is wrong. And Bottas says it will take time to fix that.
Of course, everything will be tried to improve the problem. But it is currently the case that half of all starts go wrong. “Unfortunately, there is no quick fix,” said Bottas.
It will still take “one or two races” before a real solution is found.
Russell: Mercedes engine no problem
There was already speculation in Bahrain as to whether Mercedes could not only have a problem with the chassis but also with the engine. But Russell doesn’t assume that. There are reasons for not being one of the fastest cars on the straights.
Russell cites porpoising as one factor, with which Mercedes is known to have major problems. Bottas still knows the Mercedes engine from the previous year and will drive with Ferrari power in 2022. With a grin he says that he is very happy with his new drive.
Let’s see how the balance of power is in Saudi Arabia.
Albon: Have a “good platform”
“Bahrain was one of our worse tracks,” hopes the Williams driver. While he achieved at least semi-respectable results in qualifying and the race, his teammate Latifi was completely behind, especially on Saturday.
Albon states that Saudi Arabia should be a better track for the FW44. Some tracks are better for Williams than others, but basically you have “a good platform” this year, says Albon.
Little of that was seen in Bahrain, however.
Bottas: Bahrain was a ‘positive surprise’
It starts with the Finn, who reports that the season opener for Alfa Romeo was a “positive surprise”. After the training sessions, you already expected that you could finish in the top 10.
With P6 in qualifying and the race, however, they even ended up “slightly above expectations”. Aston Martin has fared less well, with Stroll saying they have “some work to do” before they can fight for points.
Red Bull breaks curfew
The weekend hasn’t even really started yet, when Red Bull already had to break the curfew once. No problem, however, because it was the first of eight jokers for the Bulls this year.
Nothing is currently known about the exact background. But of course it could have something to do with the defects in Bahrain.
So we’re now putting our focus on the PK, we’ll start in a few minutes!
The first technical pictures from Jeddah …
… are already there! When you get a chance, click through our photo gallery, which will be updated regularly over the course of the weekend. As usual, you can find the best snapshots from Saudi Arabia in our large photo gallery!