Official Pre Season Testing 2022 - BAHRAIN

As the teams will no doubt be bringing very much revised versions of the cars we saw at the 'pre season test', I though we should have a new thread.

Mods feel free to delete if it's unnecessary.

It's just 7 days to the second and final test for the 2022 season. Hopefully we will see more representative times being set and maybe we will be able to read more into where the teams will fit in the starting order.

Starts Thursday 10th March at 07:00 to 16:00 UK time
Ends Saturday 12th March at 16:00 again UK time.

Then first practice 18th March 14:00 UK time... Can't wait... Cheers TopClass

 

Ched the good news is i think the race is actually a week earlier though! So FP1 on 18 March. That weekend we get F1 starting and the 6 Nations final games - great sporting weekend!

 

big test incoming. very very interesting.

the gap between race and test is so close that there is zero point sandbagging on aero especially.

I would assume heavy fuel running with full power is a must down the straights to know the score.

It seems quali won't be that big an issue for the whole porpoising stuff as the DRS means you reduce down force enough that the car doesn't hit the floor.

Cant wait to see the general adaptations in the 2 weeks.

 

Couldn’t agree more- there will be proper clues on offer.

 

2 weeks til race one- never mind official testing at the end of this week! How did we end up here?! I don’t think we’ve ever digested that end of season last lap have we. Madness.

On a side note, can I say how much I’m NOT loving this Hamilton-Verstappen “duel” hype from Sky- there are a whole cast of drivers who I believe are going to give Max more than enough to match in the next decade- and I really hope we see multiple teams fighting at the front in this new era.

Personally think they’re jumping the gun on calling max “one of the best of all time” - no doubt on the right trajectory but goodness me, it’s 1 title so far and he hasn’t faced his generation head to head yet.

LeClerc, Sainz, Norris, Russell to name but 4, and then the likes of Alonso and Ricciardo l too if the right car drops their way!

 

I just want to say one thing.

Mercedes have learned nothing.


They are engaged in a rather silly preseason political game seeking to keep the we were hard done by so you need to make it right message going

Wolff who joyously slammed his headphones down to give us a tremendous meme and followed it up by showing he was playing the game as much as anyone by saying nooooo mikey to the race director in another meme.

Don't they get that these kind of games must end of the same screw job will just happen again.

Or do they simply just want the other guy screwed over next time rather than fairness for all

 

I think Max, Horner and Helmut are doing the same thing though!! i.e. Max saying Masi shouldn't have been fired as he did nothing wrong etc....

Horner has been saying that they should continue to broadcast pit wall to race director radio messages and it was him who made Liberty broadcast them previously!

It's all psychological rubbish, trying to get in each others heads, so they make mistakes etc.....
It's one of those things that once it starts the other has to join in out of fear that they will be seen to not be supporting their team as best as possible. Then the circle continues.
IF we get closer racing and Ferrari or McL towards the front it will all change as Merc and Red Bull start panicking....

 

Vertsappens comments were indeed crass.

The fact is that you can influence stewards pre race. This stuff should have been solved years ago.

A professional steward panel of 12 with 3 at each race would drive consistency at the least.

 

Enjoy testing folks. My plan to stay up late and drink scotch got kiboshed. Leave me plenty of good posts for when I wake up please.

 

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anyupdates here?

 

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can clearly see the extra wing the side pod has become and the minimised side pd. (not no side pod)

there are two sets of slots, the ones show and then you can see the panel able that can be changed for extra cooling.

 

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I think this one gives best view. There is still a lot of out washing going on so it would be better to describe this as a very very small inlet for cooling and what is in effect a massive bargeboard not a side pod that is driving air out.

Imo they have made a wing out of the mirror support and it is down washing and cresting downforce. Imo this will be challenged 100%

 

Now that K-Mag is back, who’s the first driver he’s going to say ‘suck my balls honey’ to?

 

I think liberty need a couple of low cameras at the side of the track so we can see the cars getting sucked to the track. Maybe at end of straights in braking area?

 

Red flag for stroll breaking off masses of floor.

There will be a lot of retirement ls this year imo.

 

this is the best image i have seen thus far to show whats up.

the vents show the back of radiators and theres a narrow slot in front for intake.

there is a massive outward slop from the inlet bump down to the edge of floor so that's totally different approach to our friends in aston for example.

Nothing i can see is a massive issue down there is it meets minimum legality box.

It is the massive downward facing wing that the wing mirror/ slat now represents that is a major aero element now stick on the side of the car. this is directing air down and around the bod to power the floor imo and as such is the thing in most danger.

first:

"The Mirror Body may be connected to the Sidepod by bodywork declared as “Mirror Rear Stay”. If present, this bodywork must:
i. Lie between two Y-Planes that pass through the innermost and outermost point of the volume defined in the article 3.6.4 (a)
ii. Lie behind a plane lying on the forward face of the volume defined in Article 3.6.4 (a)
iii. When cut by any X-Plane, form a single section measuring no more than 50mm in Z and no more than 10mm in Y.
iv. Lie forward2

So the question has to be raised is that mirror stay connected to a "side pod"

then what is this new wing?

Sidepod, coke panel, enginer cover, bodywork blister? then this brings in the question of continuity.

3.7.8 states "Once the Front and Rear Bodywork are fully defined, the external surfaces at the boundaries between adjacent sections of the Front Bodywork, Sidepod, Coke Panel, Engine Cover, and Bodywork Blister parts, must maintain continuity in any X, Y or Z plane."

the question is what is this wing, is it defined in the rules or not, is there a specific call out in the rules that prevents an extra wing/aero surface that sticks out like this?

The mirror mount is clearly central to the design as its directing air to the floor. if it were removed where will the air flow come from?

the thing is bargeboards were outlawed here but what about adding loads of midbody winglets?

 

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:34.531, 64 laps
Alexander Albon (Williams) +0.539, 64 laps
Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) +1.175, 39 laps
Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +1.446, 102 laps
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +1.834, 62 laps
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +2.156, 17 laps
Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +2.237, 42 laps
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) +2.633, 54 laps
Lando Norris (McLaren) +3.049, 30 laps
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +3.137, 18 laps
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +3.33, 14 laps
Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) +3.357, 49 laps
Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +4.906, 13 laps
George Russell (Mercedes) +7.162, 8 laps
Pietro Fittipaldi (Haas) +7.219, 7 laps

So far we are seeing the same high reliability. perez absolutely pounded in the laps there.