The assumptions are over and the teams have had to show their full competitive arsenal in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. And there are several surprises, especially if we compare the results with those of 2021.
Charles Leclerc has taken a pole that Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz also opted for, so Ferrari returns to the top after two seasons in which the Italian car has not been up to the best.
But now we are going to focus on the performance offered by the teams, which during the preseason and free practice they rolled at half throttle while waiting for the moment of truth.
A truth that also offers us several surprises. Some positive and some negativeespecially if we compare the times of this first classification of the year with the average achieved by each team in 2021.
Two outstanding teams and two big surprises
The truth is Mercedes has suffered the change in regulations and, after eight years at the top of Formula 1, begins the season almost half a second behind Ferrari in qualifying conditions.
This leaves the Italians already Red Bull in the lead with a slim margin, although it is also true that Mercedes is close enough to end up forming a trio in future races. Will he be able to do it?
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What is already unquestionable is the spectacular advance of the two worst teams of 2021 in classification: Alfa Romeo and Haas. The American team has become fourth fastest thanks to Kevin Magnussen’s Q2 lap, experiencing an improvement of 1.7 seconds on last year’s average.
For its part, Alfa Romeo has improved a good six tenths, slipping squarely into the upper part of an intermediate group in which it remains Alpine with a slight advance compared to last year. In practice, no fewer than four teams have lapped tenths in the Bahrain standings, anticipating a spectacular fight for points in Sunday’s race.
RANKING OF AVERAGE TIMES IN QUALIFICATION
The best time of each team in the qualifying session is chosen
major disappointments
Who has not followed the same line is Williamswhich remains at the bottom of the grid and has even lost ground compared to the 2021 average, a not inconsiderable half a second.
Of course, it is a disappointment incomparable with that of Aston-Martin, which aspired to get closer to the leading teams and has finished at the bottom of the grid and with almost a second deficit compared to last season. In fact, it was the only team to see its two drivers eliminated in Q1.
disappointing too McLaren, who after his serious problems of overheating in the brakes during the tests has arrived at this first Grand Prix without any preparation and has paid for it. Although Lando Norris has saved the furniture with a 13th place on the grid, the setback of the Woking line-up is notable and at the moment they are seven tenths per lap slower than in 2021.
There is no doubt that this grid and the reference times will change throughout the season, but for now we can already draw some accurate conclusions that will help us predict the course of the season. And it looks very interesting!