Tag: Bahrain Gp

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F1 2022 Season Technical Posts

F1 Tyres: Rules surrounding their usage on the race weekend

We have all seen the new 2022 tyres on track now. Having been run at 3 race weekends, these low-profile 18-inch tyres are delivering a lot of the changes the FIA and F1 hoped for. But not only have the tyres changed, the rules for running them have also changed although with less change than the tyres themselves. Let’s have a look at the rules from the start!

The tyre allocation ie. which 3 compounds will be available for the race weekend are notified to the teams at least 2 weeks in advance. This gives the teams time to run simulations and look at data from the previous races at the track and of the season, to come up with a run plan to approach the race weekend.

We’ve seen a non-serial for the first time during the Australian GP 2022 with the C2, C3 and C5 tyres. There is no rule against this as the allotment is decided by Pirelli (tyre supplier) and F1 themselves.

For normal race weekends(non sprint), the following dry-weather tyre sets are allocated

  • 2 Hard Compound 
  • 3 Medium Compound
  • 8 Soft Compound

For sprint race weekends, 

  • 2 Hard Compound 
  • 4 Mediums Compound
  • 6 Soft Compound

If a team wants to replace an unused tyre due to any reason(punctures etc.) they can do so with another unused tyre of the same compound specification.

Each tyre is uniquely identified along their sidewalls. That’s where you see the track officials scanning the tyres after a session with their devices. All the tyres are to be used with proper recording of the usage, which shall be validated for the quali lap or sprint or the race as a whole.

For each session declared wet, a fresh set of intermediate tyres will be provided for the driver.

If the race/sprint race starts behind the safety car due to adverse weather, wet tyres will be compulsory to run from the formation lap itself.

Source: f1.com

Unless track conditions are declared wet, each driver has to run at least two different tyre compounds. Not doing so will result in the disqualification of the driver, except when the race has ended under a suspension where 30 seconds will be added to the race time for the driver.

A hypothetical situation would be Alex Albon in the Williams in the recent Australian GP 2022. Where he almost completed the race on the same hard tyres he started with, until they did the last lap pitstop which made them satisfy this rule.

Source: autosport.com

Uptill now the top 10 positions would have to start the race on the same set of tyres you completed your fastest lap in Qualifying-2. Regular fans of the sport would remember this as the ‘Q2 Rule’. However from this season this rule has been scrapped, so teams can start the races on any tyre they wish to. This has resulted in very bold strategies played by some teams in the races till now, however the full story of this change will become more clear as the season progresses.

Source: f1.com: Predicted strategies for Jeddah GP

Wrong Tyres:

Wrong tyres i.e. tyres other than those allotted to the driver, cannot be used during any session in the race weekend. If by mistake they are fitted, they have to be changed back to the correct tyres within one lap with respect to the line of track. 

An example of this rule in action would be Sakhir 2020. Where a mixup during the double pitstops of the Mercedes team resulted in George Russel being fitted with tyres of his teammate Valterri Bottas. What followed was the infamous ‘George we have a mixed tyre set’ radio message from Peter Bonnington who was the Chief Engineer for Lewis Hamilton’s replacement that weekend. GR was called into the pits the next lap itself to correct this according to the rule.

Tyre blankets are now at a lower temperature. But the changes have not been disclosed to the public but the responses from the teams around this topic point to a significant shift in operations here. Also additional restrictions are there for how the teams can prepare the tyres before a session to get them ready.

After all the running of these tyres on the pinnacle of motorsport cars, methodic procedures are laid out for return of tyres after a session and the entire weekend. With extensive logging as previously mentioned to monitor that all teams comply with the rules laid out.

Source: Article 30, F1 Sporting Regulations (Issue5)

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F1 2022 Season

Bahrain 2022: Super Season Opener

Race week review

The anticipation building up to the start of the 2022 season was immense. The little moments of action in testing had everyone on edge, waiting for the real spectacle to take place. With new race directors, new regulations and new teams and teammates, this new era of Formula 1 was about to begin.

Excitement roamed the paddock, particularly in the Haas garage because the car looked relatively good. Gunther Steiner, famously known for kicking off many times on Drive to Survive was visible happy to have the new pairing of Magnussen and Schumacher lining up for them. With everyone making predictions on how the constructor’s championship would go, they were definitely right up in the mix.

Source: motorsportmagazine.com

Daniel Ricciardo, after missing the three days of testing in Bahrain for McLaren was rejoining the team, slightly on the back foot; nevertheless, ready to work. There were previously slight mentions of McLaren placing behind the top 3 of Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, but a race weekend in Bahrain looked to cut those rumours short.

At the beginning of the race weekend, Aston Martin announced that four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel had tested positive for Covid-19 and would not race in Bahrain. He would go on to be replaced by their reserve driver Nico Hulkenburg.

Source: motorsport.com

Friday practice allowed the teams to become even more familiar with the circuit with the new cars. Pierre Gasly topped FP1 with his AlphaTauri while certain other teams were dealing with their own problems. McLaren we’re trying to make up for lost time in testing during the session. Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were a little off the pace, trying new things with the car.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen topped the charts in FP2 followed by the two Ferrari’s, who were constantly showing that they had the pace.

Verstappen again finished P1 in FP3, with Leclerc and Perez second and third. Mercedes had much better running in the final session, finishing fourth and sixth.

Qualifying had everyone’s hearts racing; the first qualifying of the season was nothing short of a show stopper.

The two Aston Martin cars were both out in Q1, along with Tsunoda, Latifi and Ricciardo, who was not having a good start to the season.

The new signing for Williams, Alex Albon, was knocked out in Q2, his smiles and radio message to the team showing he was happy to have made it that far. Rookie driver Guanyu Zhou was also knocked out in Q2, along with Mick Schumacher (his highest qualifying position-12th), Esteban Ocon and the second McLaren of Lando Norris. It was not looking like a good day for the papaya team.

Impressively, Bottas and Magnussen made it to the top 10 shoutout. They qualified in sixth and seventh respectively. After the first round of runs, Carlos Sainz was on provisional pole but when it all came down to the final flying lap, Charles Leclerc edged out Max Verstappen for the first pole of the season in emphatic fashion.

Hamilton qualified fifth, behind Sergio Perez, while George Russell could only muster ninth place on his first outing as a Mercedes driver, something he’d have to make up for in the race.

Source: racingnews365.com

The first race of the season, as you’ll see below in greater detail, was one you couldn’t miss. With lots of overtakes, interesting strategy calls, and all round great racing, we crowned our first race winner of the new era of F1. And he wore red.

Source: skysports.com

Race report

We the fans were made a lot of promises before 2022. Formula One promised us that the new cars would be able to follow each other and race better. Ferrari promised us that they would be back. Steiner promised us that better things were on the horizon for Haas.

I, for one, think that every promise was delivered on.

The 2022 season opener was one of the most incredible we’ve seen in a long time. Pole sitter Charles Leclerc was able to convert his excellent Saturday work into a win for Scuderia Ferrari, and teammate Carlos Sainz pushed to make it a 1-2 finish for the team. 5th place starter Lewis Hamilton rounded off the podium in third place, with his brand new teammate George Russell finishing in fourth.

Source: fia.com

It was a dismal day for the Red Bull powered teams. Reigning champion Max Verstappen, who started 2nd and fought Leclerc for almost the entire race, wrestled with the steering on a difficult RB18, eventually retiring the car. Teammate Sergio Perez also spun into retirement at the end of the race, suggesting that the issue he faced was extremely similar to that of Verstappen.

Source: firstsportz.com

While the race ended happily for Alpha Tauri driver Yuki Tsunoda, starting his second season in the sport, the same could not be said for teammate Pierre Gasly. On lap 46, the Frenchman’s car overheated and caught on fire, causing an immediate retirement for Gasly and bringing the safety car out on track for the first time in 2022.

Source: formula1.com

It was a struggle of a weekend for Mercedes, who have in previous years been indisputably strong. This weekend the best the team could achieve was a 3rd place podium for Lewis Hamilton and a 4th place finish for George Russell. Hopefully the team will be able to improve the car in the coming weeks!

American-based team Haas had the opposite weekend – after a couple of years of misfortune, the team came barrelling out of the gate with a brilliant package. Returning driver Kevin Magnussen brought home a fifth place finish for the team, with teammate Mick Schumacher finishing in eleventh place – although it would be fair to assume that that will improve as the season goes by.

It was a double points finish for Alpine, with Ocon in 7th place and Alonso in 9th, with the car showing significant promise. The continuation of this strong driver lineup can only be good for Alpine, who will no doubt be regular points finishers once again throughout 2022.

Another team which showed significant strength this weekend was Alfa Romeo. After starting 6th, Valtteri Bottas was able to finish the race in the same position for his new team, whereas rookie teammate Zhou Guanyu was able to score a point in tenth place on his debut race, an excellent achievement for the sport’s first full-time Chinese driver.

Source: f1chronicle.com

However, while some teams were able to produce excellent results, some were not. McLaren found Bahrain to be incredibly difficult with neither driver able to score points. Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in 14th place after failing to leave Q1 on Saturday, ahead of teammate Lando Norris who finished the race in 15th place.

It was similarly disappointing for Aston Martin, with both Lance Stroll and reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg finishing the race towards the back of the pack, with Stroll in 12th place and Hulkenberg in 17th. It is expected that Sebastian Vettel will return to the team next week if testing negative for Covid-19, so it will be interesting to see how he is able to perform in the car.

Both Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi of Williams had a difficult Sunday, finishing in 13th and 16th place respectively. However, it was definitely a good race result for Alex Albon after a year away from the sport, and it will be exciting to see what the Thai/English driver will deliver this year.

We move onto Jeddah for the second race of the season where we expect to see more exhilarating racing!

Source: firstsportz.com

By Leslie & Tara

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F1 2022 Season

F1 Testing 2022: What did we learn?

Probably absolutely nothing. But also, maybe we saw some hints as to how the season may go.

We can say that nobody has really shown their true colours because it would be a dead giveaway before the season starts and nobody wants to do that. But, there are some teams who may be struggling now and might continue to for a while.

All eyes on Mercedes?

The eight time constructor’s champions Mercedes who have dominated the competition for eight years in a row (such an impressive feat) had everyone talking at testing in Bahrain. Barcelona testing in February was not televised and many cars had changes to them, so, when they arrived at Sakhir, the “no sidepods” sidepods concept took many teams by surprise.

New driver for the team George Russell has downplayed the strength of the Mercedes car, mentioning how Ferrari were “potential favourites” ; however, Carlos Sainz says it’s “typical George and typical Mercedes” to downplay their efforts and hype up their competition.

But, seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton also says that “Mercedes are not in the hunt for wins right now like Red Bull and Ferrari”.

So, the question is: what do we believe?

Are Ferrari really title contenders?

There was definitely pace in that Ferrari and we probably should count them in the title race, with the red car looking very stable on track. Many also wouldn’t be surprised to see them on pole on Saturday, they had that much pace.

They ran the most laps and probably looked the most consistent and reliable. According to team principal Mattia Binotto, the team has a “good basis” to build on.

What’s the situation at Red Bull?

The car looks very good on track, and with a blistering lap time to finish off testing in Bahrain, the Bulls look like they mean business.

The Milton Keynes team seemed to hide their true pace for some of testing, with many speculating they had more up their sleeve. When the upgrades came about, (with a different sidepod design) they showed their hand.

McLaren troubles?

The McLaren car looked to be good enough on track but with Daniel Ricciardo missing all three days of testing due to testing positive for Covid-19, they seem to be on the back foot and the Aussie will be lacking sufficient preparation for this race weekend.

Lando Norris took the reigns for the papaya team, getting all the data the team needed. He also mentioned how he communicated with his teammate daily to update him on the car.

Although, Norris mentioned how testing had been “less than ideal” for McLaren, leading us to wonder what the situation is with the car.

The McLaren car also had pace but struggled with break issues (for which they had to get new parts to solve this problem) that ultimately hurt their ability to run more laps.

Where do AlphaTauri rank?

Gasly and Tsunoda completed many laps (370) and did not have much to worry about with reliability. The fight for the midfield looks even closer and with this pairing showing confidence in the car, they might throw a spanner in the works for others.

Alpine: A threat to consider?

The eye-catching livery of Alpine stole even more attention when Ocon showed great pace in the car on Day 2. They finished the testing with good data and results once they had figured out how to manage their porpoising, something many teams were struggling with. They are definitely a team to keep an eye out for.

Aston Martin: What can we say about the green team?

Not much really, it is very difficult to make a decent guess about how the Aston Martin team will do this season. Testing looked to go relatively smooth for the green team. It seems are there are not any major problems for them to worry about so we’ll have to wait and see.

Alfa Romeo: Is Bottas right to worry?

With a completely new line-up of Bottas and Zhou people may not be expecting much from Alfa Romeo, but they may cause some problems for the rest of the midfield due their pace and the many laps both drivers put in.

Bottas does fear about the reliability of the Alfa Romeo but only time will tell if it will be a key factor in this season.

Williams: A year of progression?

We are wondering what kind of year we’ll have at Williams with the new pairing of Latifi and Albon who were previously been teammates before in 2018, in Formula 2. After starting well, the Williams team encountered some problems when the brakes caught on fire and they could not run again on Day 2 as they were unable to fix the car on time. Day 3 went well for them so we are left to imagine where they will fit in on the board.

Haas: A future point scoring team?

They encountered plenty of problems at the wrong time. With the team replacing Mazepin with their former driver Magnussen who had lots of experience, there was hope for the team. But with freight delays, the team were running behind schedule; and, when certain teams blocked Haas’ request for extra running on Sunday to make up for time lost, things did not look good.

With extra time to run on Friday and Saturday, Magnussen and Schumacher put in impressive lap times, bringing them high up on the table.

They may be scoring points some time soon.

We can definitely see things heating up as there were a few moments of racing during testing, meaning the drivers are ready to go. The pack seems tighter and we might see some more aggressive stuff from the guys on track when things kick off in Bahrain this weekend.

One can definitely tell it’s going to be an exciting season as we start this new era.