The first race of the new era of the world championship took place in Bahrain and so far, everything is going right!
Bahrain hosted the first race of the long-awaited new era of Formula 1; the World Championship returned to the ground effect, completely different cars on the track, and the fight was quite different from the one to which we have been accustomed in recent years. Mercedes may no longer be a dominant force.
Let's sum up the results of the first race of the 2022 season...
For the Title Fight: Ferrari vs Red Bull
In the winter tests, many predicted that Red Bull and Ferrari were one step ahead of their rivals, but the majority of experts still preferred the Austrians. The more unexpected was the victory of Charles Leclerc in Qualifying and a steady pace in the race, except for a couple of episodes after the first pit stops, where Max Verstappen previously leading the race lost his position.
Nevertheless, the Red Bulls were consistently close to Leclerc, putting pressure on him and battling for P1. Before the restart, Max failed to prepare the attack, coming under pressure from Sainz. Sadly, if the conditions on the track had been a little better suited to the Austrians, they would have been ahead.
Like last year, the balance of power will vary from track to track. We hope and believe that in Milton Keynes, somehow even if towards the end of the season, they will find something to answer Maranello. Otherwise, the Ferrari may just become the new Mercedes… or rather, return to their former glory from the 2000s with Michael Schumacher.
Overall, the main favourites in the fight for the championship are Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, whilst the points are currently 26-0 in favour of the Monegasque, A technical double DNF is a big blow to Red Bull's chances. However, the championship will be longer than ever, and we believe we'll have an exciting battle yet to come.
Mercedes in a catch-up role-for the first time since 2013
In the past few years, Toto Wolff has previously claimed in the paddock that the Mercedes have been experiencing problems, however in the first race they were always the fastest. This time, though, the German team really did experience difficulties where in Bahrain, the Silver Arrows were only the third fastest, battling hard to keep up with the front runners.
In Bahrain, all teams using the German power units failed to score points including McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams in this race. Each of these teams explains their race difficulties in their own way, but it appears to be like the loss of power similarly like for Ferrari in 2020.
Let's hope that the Silver Arrows resolve their problems soon, whatever they are, to continue to compete for the title. For the first time in many years, it appears to be a three-way fight for the Team Championship. It certainly looks right now as if Mercedes and Ferrari in the off-season exchanged places.
Haas from Scratch
Biggest surprise of all this weekend was the breakthrough of Alfa Romeo and Haas, who both achieved 13 points last year. In just one race alone, these two teams scored 19, proving both Alfa Romeo and Haas have become players in a completely different league.
Kevin Magnussen’s strong performance, before Red Bull’s DNF, was fighting for seventh place, the first position behind the three teams. Despite lacking a year of training, racing or even in a simulator, came 5th! This suggests that in theory, the new Haas could even allow him to fight for a podium. In such conditions, it’s possible to look at Mick Schumacher's first time with a new teammate, though they have not spent much time together, it will be interesting how this duo will perform both on and off the track as a team.
Guanyu Zhou, another driver who had a fantastic weekend, achieving 10th – awarding him the last point of the top 10 in his debut race. The Chinese raced well with some great overtakes during the Grand Prix along with his Alfa Romeo teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
A disappointing weekend for McLaren and Aston Martin
Looking back at the weekend, a great disappointment were the performances from McLaren and Aston Martin, and in both cases, this development was unexpected. Though they had some promising results from the tests, McLaren experienced problems with overheated brake. Trouble brewed for Daniel Ricciardo with Lando Norris trying to keep some hope alive to attempt a points position, however the two McLarens finished 14th and 15th.
Things were even tougher for Aston Martin this weekend. Given the circumstances and the minimum time to get acquainted with the new car, Nico Hulkenberg stepped in for Sebastian Vettel, managed the car well pretty well! Whilst Lance Stroll lost to the German in Qualifying and finished 12th behind Mick Schumacher in the race. However, Aston Martin is still ahead in Constructors above Williams, McLaren and even Red Bull.
Formula 1 on the right track?
The new technical regulations have changed the balance of power in Formula 1, both amongst the top teams and in the middle pack. At the same time, the championship exposed one of the current main problems, the DRS. In a brilliant fight, Verstappen and Leclerc battles show the difficulty of the right to open the wing. Bahrain shows so far, the updated Formula 1 meets the objectives of the reform: the championship looks more modern with the race turning out spectacular and unpredictable. The big question remains, will this continue to the end of the season?
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