After practice and qualifying in Bahrain over the weekend, the results indicated the F1 line-up may not be what it was in 2021.
Teams were comparing the performance of their own cars to that of the Ferrari F1-75. Undoubtedly the Maranello team had made major improvements to their 2022 power unit.
Few of us would have predicted the effect the Ferrari power units would have, but the final times in qualifying demonstrated it admirably.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz occupied first and third respectively.
In the sixth position, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas followed by Kevin Magnussen of Haas in seventh – all Ferrari powered.
Of the top 10 cars, four used Ferrari engines, three used Red Bull (Honda), two Mercedes and one Renault.
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On race day, there was no doubt who had got it right straight out of the box, as Leclerc held the lead from the start with team-mate Sainz challenging Max Verstappen for second position.
It soon became a two-car race, as Leclerc and the new F1 champion provided some great racing and demonstrated the new aerodynamic format was achieving the goal of allowing following cars to get closer, improving overtaking opportunities.
It was not an F1 race to remember for Williams, McLaren or Aston Martin, all suffering from a definite lack of pace. Mercedes struggled, but managed to stay in touch
Everybody else using the Mercedes power unit suffered.
The first signs of trouble with a Red Bull power unit occurred on lap 44, when Pierre Gasly’s Alpha Tauri lost power and was retired with a fire in the engine area.
Verstappen suffered brake overheating, forcing him to drop back from Leclerc, while he also complained of a problem with his power steering locking.
A similar situation cost Yuki Tsunoda during Saturday’s FP3 – he was unable to leave his pit garage with locked steering and a distinct smell of oil.
Was this a portent of Verstappen’s problem?
Gasly’s incident had resulted in a safety car and at the restart Leclerc pulled away from Verstappen, who was still battling with the steering.
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Then his radio transmissions indicated he was losing power, asking what he could do, he was informed “nothing”.
The disappointed Dutchman crawled back to the pits and retired on lap 54.
Red Bull’s hopes then rested with Perez, but chasing Sainz on the penultimate lap, the Mexican spun after his engine died. He was out of the race on lap 56, promoting Hamilton to third.
Post-race suggested the problem with both cars could be fuel system related, but had yet to be investigated.
Could the fuel consumption of these heavier cars have risen dramatically in the heat of battle to a point of an empty fuel cell? Surely not.
Of the top 10 finishers, two were Mercedes powered, two Renault, one Red Bull and five Ferrari. This promises to be a very different era in F1.
To see the 2022 F1 driver’s standings, click here.