With testing now complete, teams will make final preparations for 2022’s opening weekend at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
SAKHIR, Bahrain—On Saturday, Formula One’s final test of the pre-season came to a familiar conclusion as reigning world champion Max Verstappen showed that he might be the man to watch in next Sunday’s opening race. Verstappen posted a 1:31:720 fastest time on the softest compound, the C5 tire, at the Bahrain International Circuit. Teammate Sergio Perez was seventh in the second Red Bull.
Verstappen completed 53 laps in total, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished the day with 51 laps. A surprising third went to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who, as did Leclerc, ran his quick lap on C4 tires. Leclerc’s running mate, Carlos Sainz Jr., did not keep pace, finishing 13th on the day.
Eyes were on Mercedes, too, on this last day to show how competitive the team might be next weekend. The outcome was a mixed bag. George Russell placed fourth, while Hamilton ended in 17th out of 18 drivers testing. Alfa Romeo did better with Valtteri Bottas taking fifth and rookie Guanyu Zhou having his best placing in 11th. Yuki Tsunoda improved with sixth in the Alpha Tauri, with teammate Pierre Gasly finishing in 12th.
Haas F1’s Mick Schumacher, who was granted an extra hour of testing because of delivery issues of the car and equipment, made use of it and ended up eighth overall, while teammate Kevin Magnussen–after scoring the best time on Friday–ended up on the reverse side of the ledger in last place on Saturday.
Aston Martin fell back a bit as Sebastian Vettel, who was consistent earlier in the test, finished 10th, while Lance Stroll finished in 16h. Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi placed their Williams’s entries in 14th and 15th, respectively.
The teams will remain in-country to prepare for next weekend’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Practice session #1 is scheduled for Thursday (8a Eastern, ESPN2), with Friday’s Practice #2 slated for an 11a Eastern start (ESPNN). Saturday Qualifying will begin at 11a Eastern (ESPNN), while Sunday’s race will be televised by ESPN starting at 11a Eastern.
