After a stormy winter, the new era of F1 kicks off with pre-season testing starting in Barcelona.
The F1 launch season is nearly complete, as the aftermath of the chaotic Abu Dhabi GP finale has seen sweeping changes including the removal of Michael Masi as race director and new protocols being introduced, meaning the focus on 2022 takes center stage as the teams prepare to run the new cars and show what technical innovations each team has decided to adopt under the new technical regulations.
Most of the presentations were bait and switch with the teams busy showing renders of the cars, or in some cases a show car with updated livery, so as not to reveal the secrets for as long as possible. This means that the pre-season testing will be the first chance to see all the new real F1 cars.
Nikita Mazepin, Haas VF-22
Photo by: Haas F1 Team
All 10 F1 teams will be in action in both pre-season tests which will give a first indication in understanding which teams have understood the rules well and which teams have work to do. Although to be taken with a grain of salt, due to teams hiding real performance levels, the tests are the first real test.
F1 2022 test times
F1 pre-season testing for 2022 will be split between Barcelona and Bahrain, with the first test called shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 23-25. The test will be carried out with a normal method, but there will be no television coverage, no communication of the times live and it will not be open to fans.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
The second pre-season test in Bahrain will return to the traditional format with fans admitted to the circuit, live television coverage as well as timing. The test will take place on 10-12 March, the week before the opening of the 2022 F1 season represented by the Bahrain GP on 18-20 March.
At the Barcelona test, the track will be open every day from 9 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon, with a one-hour lunch break, but this can be abandoned in order to make up for lost time due to red flags or bad conditions. weather, which means that the runway is available for up to nine hours a day.
Day |
Morning session |
Afternoon session |
Wednesday 23 February 2022 |
9.00 am – 13.00 am |
14.00 pm – 18.00 pm |
Thursday 24th February 2022 |
9.00 am – 13.00 am |
14.00 pm – 18.00 pm |
Friday 25 February 2022 |
9.00 am – 13.00 am |
14.00 pm – 18.00 pm |
The Bahrain test will follow the same format, but will start an hour later due to better weather conditions and the use of the Bahrain International Circuit reflectors. The action on the track will also be divided by a one-hour lunch break which can be canceled in order to make up for lost time.
Day |
Morning session |
Afternoon session |
Friday 10 March 2022 |
8.00 am – 12.00 am |
13.00 pm – 17.00 pm |
Friday 11 March 2022 |
8.00 am – 12.00 am |
13.00 pm – 17.00 pm |
Saturday 12 March 2022 |
8.00 am – 12.00 am |
13.00 pm – 17.00 pm |
Drivers line-up for the 2022 F1 tests
Due to the F1 rules each team can only run one car during the test (except for mule cars allowed for tire tests at the request of Pirelli), which means that the teams have divided the driving days between each of the its pilots plus any reserve pilots. This is also a method of keeping costs at bay and places a limit on bigger teams from outpacing rivals simply to be able to make two or more cars.
Given the new specifications of the cars, it is expected that most of the tests will be held by the racing drivers in 2022 to give them maximum track time to adapt to the new cars.
Here is the current list of which drivers are in action for each team for the Barcelona F1 test on February 23-25. The list will be updated with further announcements.
Team |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Mercedes |
|||
Red Bull |
|||
Ferrari |
|||
McLaren |
|||
AlphaTauri |
Tsunoda |
Gasly |
Gasly / Tsunoda |
Alpine |
|||
Aston Martin |
Vettel / Stroll |
Stroll / Vettel |
Vettel / Stroll |
Williams |
Latifi / Albon |
Albon / Latifi |
Latifi / Albon |
Alfa Romeo |
|||
Haas F1 |
Mazepin / Schumacher |
Schumacher / Mazepin |
Mazepin / Schumacher |
How can I take the first pre-season test?
The Barcelona F1 testing will not be broadcast live on TV or in real time, having been classified as a shakedown for teams to understand the new 2022 cars and technical regulations. A final times table will be released at the end of the day, with highlights and a summary.
Motorsport.com will provide live text coverage of the Barcelona F1 testing for all three days.
The Bahrain F1 test will have live TV coverage and timing, similar to a traditional event broadcast, and details on the TV coverage will be confirmed at a later date. Also in this case Motorsport.com will create a textual coverage live for all three days of testing.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Why aren’t the tests shown on television?
The decision not to broadcast the first pre-season test live in Barcelona, and to make the event behind closed doors without access for fans, came from the teams.
Last year F1 reduced the pre-season to a single three-day test in Bahrain, broadcast live and with live times, but due to the introduction of the new rules and new cars, F1 added an additional private test in Barcelona in order to give F1 teams more time on the track to better understand the cars.
This is why the second and official pre-season test is taking place in the same format as last year with live coverage, times and access for fans on the circuit.
Why are the tests split between two tracks this year?
Given the best ambient temperatures, Barcelona’s weather conditions at this time of year and track features offering a variety of high, medium and low speed corners, the circuit has been the traditional location for pre-season testing in the last years.
Its relatively central location for all F1 teams with easy access to Barcelona Airport also allows F1 teams to easily arrive new parts or late developments compared to what might happen in places like Bahrain.
Bahrain will host the second pre-season test as it is also an ideal venue for both climatic and track characteristics. In addition, the Bahrain International Circuit will also host the opening round of 2022, which means it is logistically easier for teams to stay on track with a week off between testing and racing.
What are the F1 rules changes for 2022?
The F1 2022 rule changes focus on returning to ground-effect single-seaters, with changes to the aerodynamic rules aimed at making cars easier to follow and therefore producing closer and more thrilling races.
Ground effect underbody tunnels have not been allowed in Formula 1 since 1982, but requests for their reintroduction have gotten quite strong in recent years.
F1 has sought to reduce the current reliance on wings for downforce, considered to be the culprits of the dirty air that has made close-quarters racing difficult in modern times. This kicked off the return of ground effect cars.
This year F1 will also switch to tires with 18-inch wheels as part of the broader changes to the aerodynamic rules, while the DRS will remain in place but may be revised if the new cars produce the desired action on the track. The standardized and listed parts have also been defined and increased to help lower costs on areas of cars with little or no performance advantage.
The new rules also introduce measures to limit expenses for F1 teams, including a further reduction in the cost cap for 2022. In addition, a sliding scale of wind tunnel development time and CFD has been introduced to provide better competition – with the worst performing team having the most time in the wind tunnel and the best performing less. The order of the teams is decided by the standings of the F1 constructors’ world championship from the previous year.
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