AFTER possibly the greatest season in Formula One history, the drivers are BACK on the track for 2022 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
World champ Max Verstappen is hoping to retain the title he won in thrilling fashion last year.
But of course Lewis Hamilton is still hoping to win what would be a record driver’s world title.
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: Now
- Friday, March 18: Practice 1 (12 noon), Practice 2 (3pm)
- Saturday, March 19: Practice 3 (12 noon), Qualifying (3pm)
- Sunday, March 19: Bahrain Grand Prix (3pm)
All you need for Cheltenham Festival 2022
Stay up to date with all the latest from the latest from the Bahrain Grand Prix in our live blog…
Fantastic runs from Schumacher and Magnussen
The Haas duo are running in fifth and fourth place respectively. They sacrificed all last year to get this car ready. And it looks like that decision could pay off.
Hamilton is not looking comfortable
The Mercedes man is still having issues with his new car and it is bouncing up and down, just as it reaches top speed.
They are going to need to get on top of this quickly if he is to have any chance of winning on Sunday.
Drivers’ eye
This is an excellent view from inside the drivers’ helmets.
FP2 is underway
Under the spotlights in Bahrain, the second session of the day is underway.
Can Lewis Hamilton and George Russell find some more performance from that Mercedes?
Or will Ferrari continue to look the quickest?
Summary from FP1 in Bahrain
Pierre Gasly began Formula One’s new era with the fastest time for AlphaTauri.
The Frenchman lapped the 5.4-km Sakhir desert track in 1min 34.193sec on a sunny but cool afternoon.
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were second and third, the Italian team continuing to back up the hype that has them marked out as one of the favourites.
George Russell led Mercedes’ charge in fourth with Lewis Hamilton seventh as the reigning champions, who struggled to dial their car into the Sakhir track during last week’s pre-season test, made a low-key start to their bid to secure a ninth-straight constructors title.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who ended last week’s test with the fastest time, was fifth for Red Bull.
Friday afternoon’s running was not representative of the conditions drivers will face in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, which are scheduled to be floodlit dusk-to-night sessions.
Teams are also still coming to terms with the most radical rules overhaul in decades, featuring cars that have been drastically redesigned in a bid to improve the racing spectacle.
Canadian Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin with Spanish double world champion Fernando Alonso eighth for Alpine.
Session over. FP1 is done.
Gasly tops the timesheets. Leclerc is second-quickest, Sainz is third.
Ferrari are looking good here in Bahrain. Verstappen is fifth and Hamilton’s best lap is only good enough for seventh place.
Gasly leads the way
Early days but the AlphaTauri man tops the timesheets. We still have three minutes to go, but that’s a solid run for the Frenchman.
SPIN FOR LECLERC
It is very windy out there and it looks as though he was caught out. He’s sent into a 360 degree slide but he’s kept it out of the barriers.
HULK IS BACK
Nico Hulkenberg is filling in for Sebastian Vettel this week after the German tested positive for covid.
Hulkenberg has previously filled in for Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll when they too tested positive.
BITS DROPPING OFF EVERYWHERE
George Russell loses part of the floor of his Mercedes. Worth remembering most of these parts are new and being put through their paces for the first time. They have all been upgraded since the test last week.
WE ARE UNDERWAY AGAIN IN BAHRAIN
After a 13 minute delay, we have the green light to resume.
LONG DELAY FOR A CLEAR UP
Ocon did lose a chunk of bodywork, but this has taken some time to clear up. The team are investigation what caused the part to simply come loose and snap off.
RED FLAG
Just seven minutes into the session and it has been stopped. A huge part of bodywork has ripped off one of the Alpine cars, revealing the internal parts of the car.
FP1 IS UNDERWAY IN BAHRAIN
The new season has started and Charles Leclerc is the first out on track. A signal of intent for Ferrari, who are hoping to win the title for the first time since 2008.
60 minutes of practice
The drivers have an hour to stretch their legs around the track.
Of course all eyes will be on the new designs of the cars and the side wall of the Mercedes, which has attracted lots of glances.
That said, Lewis Hamilton still isn’t quite happy with the pace of his car.
Let’s see how he gets on this weekend.
Green light is out
Here comes Charles Leclerc followed by Nico Hulkenberg.
Nico isn’t hanging around, he’s in for Sebastian Vettell this weekend as the German has caught Covid.
The Formula One season has begun!
Netflix no chill
Sergio Perez is ready to snub the next instalment of Netflix’s hit TV series, Drive to Survive.
Max Verstappen has already refused to do interviews with the show after accusing the heavily-edited fly-on-the-wall F1 series of being “fake”.
And now his Red Bull team-mate is ready to take the same approach after they “tried to create too much drama” out of the climax to last season.
He said ahead of the Bahrain GP: “I really thought that they had the best season in Formula One and I feel like they probably missed out a bit in the story and the way they presented it.
“They tried to create too much drama, which was already had, the season had enough drama, you know?
“They probably have gone too far in this last season. I thought it was going to be the best season [to watch], but to be totally honest I haven’t finished it.”
Ten minutes till first practice starts
The countdown is well and truly on now…
Russell on being a Merc’d man
“I can only learn from Lewis and it can only be beneficial in the long run.
“Equally, I think now is the best time to have this opportunity to go up alongside him because we are starting from fresh.
“We have completely new cars. Last year was constant evolution whereas now it’s a complete fresh start and a good opportunity.
“With my experiences last year disappointments, crashes, missing out on points, scoring points I now feel more complete.
“Over the last six years, I have outperformed my team-mates.
“But I’ve got to be realistic. Suddenly now I need to change my thought process but I feel stronger to be able to deal with that than I would’ve been a year ago.”
George can Russell some feathers
George Russell says taking on Lewis Hamilton as Formula One stands on the brink of a new era is ‘win-win’, writes BEN HUNT.
The 24-year-old from King’s Lynn has been promoted by Mercedes after a three-year spell effectively on loan at Williams.
Russell replaced Valtteri Bottas and will drive alongside seven-time world champion Hamilton as F1 prepares to welcome a whole new generation of cars in Sunday’s curtain-raiser in Bahrain.
The sport has undergone the biggest rule changes in its history, creating a level playing field where Russell is hoping to thrive.
He said: “It is incredibly exciting. I find myself in a win-win scenario.
“You are going up against the greatest of all time, who has beaten everybody.”
Max on his title win
Verstappen is aware his championship title win last year wasn’t a normal one, but he hasn’t a care in the world what people think about it.
“Clearly not. It is what it is. People have their own opinions and that’s fine,” he told the BBC.
Credit: AP
Hamilton calls for no bias
Lewis Hamilton has hinted he doesn’t want to see any bias with F1 stewards this season.
Race director Michael Masi was removed from his position after last season and will be replaced by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich.
“Race drivers are sometimes very, very good friends with certain individuals. Some travel with certain individuals and tend to take a more keen liking to some of them,” Hamilton said.
“So just people who have no bias is super-essential when it comes to making decisions.”
“Last year there were maybe one or two. It would be awesome to have a male and female as the two race directors. That’s a great way of promoting diversity.”
Credit: EPA Hamilton misses FIA gala
But he doesn’t seem to care…
Hamilton wants the fine to go to a good cause.
Lewis Hamilton arrives
Rocking up like dressed to impress, and looking like some sort of jiu-jitsu master, the seven-time champ is in Bahrain and ready to go.
Credit: AFP Credit: AFP Good morning!
Hello and welcome to SunSport’s live coverage of today’s F1 Bahrain Grand Prix first practice!
It’ been a long time coming, but the new season is finally here for all your motorsport fans to enjoy.
The end to last year’s campaign ended in a whole host of controversy, as Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton by the smallest of margins in the season’s final race to claim his first championship.
But Hamilton is looking to win his crown back, and it all begins today in the Middle East.
Hamilton won last year’s season opener in Bahrain, but has tipped rival teams Red Bull and Ferrari to come out of the blocks faster than everyone else this season.
Either way, it’ll be an enthralling start to the new season.
So strap yourselves in petrol heads, first practice gets going from 12pm GMT.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
