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Gary Anderson’s verdict on Mercedes’ 2022 F1 design.
I like the overall concept. It is following the trend of what I would have pursued if I was still involved in F1 design.
By Gary Anderson
The Race
18 Feb 2022, 14:56
Some areas such as the load distribution of the front wing and the leading edge and splitters of the underfloor I like. The sidepod lines also look right, although I suspect AlphaTauri might be a little tidier in this area.
I think Mercedes has missed a trick on the front wing mounting system that Aston Martin and McLaren have gone for with the forward element creating a full-width slot gap.
But that’s a simple bolt on component so can change easily if you have a couple of million dollars left within your budget cap.
‘W13 overall concept liked’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1/Mercedes
Russell’s first Mercedes run at stormy Silverstone gave him “goosebumps”
2022 F1 season
Posted on
18th February 2022, 15:2218th February 2022, 15:44 | Written by Will Wood
George Russell said Mercedes firing up the new W13 gave him “goosebumps” as he prepared for his first run as a Mercedes Formula 1 race driver.
“This morning it gave me goosebumps when the car was fired up for the first time,” Russell said. “I’ve driven so many laps in the simulator, I’ve seen so many drawings of it, I’ve had so many meetings about it, but there’s nothing like going to a race track.”
Despite the high winds, the conditions were safe enough for Russell and team mate Hamilton to complete an initial run with the car to test basic systems and that the drivers were comfortable in the car.
‘W13 gives “goosebumps”!’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/18/...ll-goosebumps/
First Images of Mercedes F1 W13; Team Says Car Is '98% New' for 2022
Mercedes hopes to add to record streak of eight consecutive Formula 1 Constructors' Championships
BY MIKE PRYSON
Feb 18, 2022
“Ever since work on W13 began, I have seen an excited enthusiasm in our team members like never before, thanks to the scale of opportunity that these technical regulations provide,” said Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. “Towards the end of the year when the car build project truly came together, I felt a deep passion across the whole organisation, not only in the technical arena but across our bases at Brackley and Brixworth who were embracing a mindset of 'we can do this.'"
‘W13 can do this’, ‘yes the W13 can’;
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...rcedes-f1-w13/
Mercedes: W13 aero packaging required 'huge amount of redesign'
Phillip van Osten18/02/2022 at 15:43
Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott says the aero constraints imposed by F1's new regulations required a "complete internal repackaging" for its W13.
"We have talked a lot about the aerodynamic changes, because these are most visible, and these regulations aim to improve overtaking," commented Mercedes' tech boss at Friday's presentation.”
"In fact, most of the car has had to change, which has been a huge challenge for the whole team. Getting to the desired aero shapes has meant a complete internal repackaging, right down to the electrical layout and where we fit things like the ECU.”
W13 Complete Internal Repackaging’;
https://f1i.com/news/432306-mercedes...-redesign.html
Mercedes W13 track shots released from Silverstone
Date published: February 18 2022 - Mark Scott
Launch day for the Silver Arrows began with a special presentation at the iconic British track with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, a returning Lewis Hamilton and new team-mate George Russell all interviewed prior to the covers coming off the W13.
With the talking over, it was time for some action. With Hamilton on filming duties, it was down to Russell to rack up the first miles on the W13 clock.
However, Mercedes got a little more time than they bargained for as they performed their private shakedown during Storm Eunice, which was bringing gusts of up to 90mph in some areas of the UK.
‘The W13 Storm Eunice Shakedown’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...d-silverstone/
Russell: Mercedes can’t afford intra-team rivalry in 2022
by Fergal Walsh
18 Feb 2022, 16:36
George Russell says Mercedes can’t afford to have a heated rivalry between himself and team-mate Lewis Hamilton in 2022.
“Lewis and I need to work together, we can’t focus too much on each other because things are constantly changing and that’s why we need to take a step back.
“We hope Mercedes will still be the fastest team, the fastest car on the grid but there are no guarantees and we need to not be naive to that and work together to ensure that we are.”
‘W13 – No Guarantees the fastest car’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...valry-in-2022/
Mercedes W13 on track at Silverstone shortly after launch
Editor
18 February, 2022
Hywel Thomas, Mercedes engine boss, gave insight 9into the mood at Brackley ahead of the big day: “For all of us, who are so involved and invested, that is quite emotional, to see the chassis and PU go down the pit lane as one for the first time.
“To hear the engine, to sit back and reflect on all the components that are working in there together. All the people, the hard work, the effort. It’s always slightly mind-blowing, and it’s a lovely moment to message back to the factory, telling them the car has hit the track,” added Hywel.
The Mercedes W13 will be trucked this weekend to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first three days of testing from 23 to 25 February, followed by a second test in Bahrain from 11 to 13 March, before the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.
‘Emotional launch of the W13’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...ormula-1-2022/
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New team apply to the FIA to enter Formula 1.
Michael Andretti is pushing ahead with plans to enter Formula 1, formally asking the FIA for permission to field a brand new team, according to his father, Mario.
Author Mike Seymour
19/02/2022, 20:54
Mario Andretti recently explained to RacingNews365.com that his son was "not giving up" on securing an F1 entry, following Andretti Autosport's failed attempt to buy a majority stake in the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo F1 operation.
The potential takeover towards the end of last year was all but confirmed, with Andretti looking to acquire an 80 percent share of Islero Investments, the current owner of Sauber, which operate the Alfa Romeo F1 team.
New F1 team;
https://racingnews365.com/new-team-a...nter-formula-1
Revealed: How Andretti's team plan to enter Formula 1
19/02/2022, 08:30
Author Mike Seymour
There is, however, a tentative plan for a manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, in which the F1 chassis would be built.
Andretti says his son is going "all in" to make the project happen, with plans also including a Formula 2 and Formula 3 entry in the future, to cover all steps on the F1 ladder.
"From where I stand, I'm excited about it, as you can imagine," Andretti continued.
"No one loves Formula 1 more than I do, and just to have the family involved, in this respect, with Michael [going] all in... his plans are to field a Formula 2 and a Formula 3 team eventually, out of all of it.
"He will be based in England; it's all set up, but I can't tell you at the moment... I cannot finalise all of those aspects.
‘Team Plan’;
https://racingnews365.com/revealed-h...nter-formula-1
Michael Andretti would build new F1 team's cars in Indianapolis, says Mario Andretti
NATHAN BROWN | Indianapolis Star
Mario Andretti says his son Michael would be “ready to go the next day,” should his application to the FIA to create a new Formula 1 team be approved. The goal is to have the team on-track by 2024.
In an exclusive interview with IndyStar, the elder Andretti divulged that F1’s possible 11th two-car team, to be named Andretti Global, would have its home base in England with the cars made at a yet-to-be-built “state-of-the-art” facility in Indianapolis near the team’s IndyCar and Indy Lights headquarters.
When reached for comment, Andretti Autosport confirmed Michael’s application to the FIA but said it could offer no further comment.
Mario said the team has already secured an engine partner, though he wouldn’t confirm the automaker. At the moment, Mercedes supplies power units for itself, Williams, McLaren and Aston Martin, while Red Bull makes engines for itself and sister team AlphaTauri, and Ferrari for itself, Alfa Romeo and Haas. Renault, which runs in F1 under its sports car brand "Alpine" most recently served as an engine supplier for McLaren in 2020 and currently makes its own engines.
‘Ready to go the next day’;
https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports...24/6851237001/
Andretti eyes 2024 F1 entry
NEWS STORY
19/02/2022
"I don't know how confident you can feel, but you just hope that the best intentions are forward. From Michael's standpoint, there's a huge commitment. It's serious and absolutely in good faith, but all that is in the hands of the FIA and the Formula 1 teams to accept it. This isn't just on a whim or a bucket list thing. This is for real. Michael, once he sets his sights on something, he's relentless. He's aligned himself with the right people to support it, and he's doing it right."
Andretti entering the sport would be great news for the F1's owners, Liberty Media, for among the boxes it ticks is that it is American and would no doubt bring an American driver into the sport.
With F1 enjoying unprecedented popularity in the US - with a soon to be confirmed race in Las Vegas joining those at COTA and Miami - there has probably been no better time for such an entry.
‘Ticks the Boxes’;
https://www.pitpass.com/71833/Andret...-2024-F1-entry
Andretti announces advanced plans for 11th Formula 1 team
F1
FEBRUARY 19TH 2022
The team, to be called Andretti Global, will be based in England, said Mario in an interview with the Indianapolis Star. However, the cars are set to be built in a new “state-of-the-art” factory in Indianapolis, where Andretti Autosport’s IndyCar and Indy Lights teams are based.
Formula 1’s growing popularity in America, combined with its new cost cap, will make it relatively easier for Andretti to find enough sponsorship to fund the team. Viewing figures increased by 58% last year, compared with 2020, and the US Grand Prix saw a record 400,000 attendance across the weekend. This year, the Miami Grand Prix joins the calendar.
‘Andretti Global’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...formula-1-team
Andretti Has Officially Applied to Enter Formula 1 in 2024
Mario took to social media to spread the word, with confirmation from Andretti Autosport following shortly thereafter.
FEBRUARY 18, 2022
JAMES GILBOY
When Haas joined Formula 1 in 2016, its arrival marked the first time in 30 years that an American team had competed at the highest level of open-wheel racing. Nobody knew at the time, but it marked the beginning of F1's surge in popularity in the United States, driven largely by Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which helped build a record-setting American fanbase that has enticed F1 to add a second U.S. race to its calendar.
Soon, F1's roots in American soil could deepen further, as 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti has confirmed via social media that his racing dynasty has applied to enter its own F1 team.
If approved, and if Haas sticks around, the 2024 season will mark the first time the grid will have consisted of 11 teams since 2016, the final year for Manor F1. It'd also be the first season with two American entries since 1977, when Interscope faced off against Chesterfield, though they were only customer teams using bought-in cars. One doesn't have to look much further back to determine the last time two American constructors competed in F1—that was 1975, when Penske, Shadow, and Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing all entered their own cars.
‘Andretti Autosport Drive to Survive’;
https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator...mula-1-in-2024
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Alpine to launch 2022 F1 car two days before testing.
The French outfit will launch the A522 on February 21, just two days before pre-season testing gets underway in Barcelona.
F1
Connor McDonagh
26 Jan 2022
Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso will remain alongside Esteban Ocon for a second season.
Ocon took the team’s first win since 2013 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Alonso returned to the podium for the first time since his days with Ferrari in Qatar in the second half of the year.
‘Alpine F1 Launch’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/995734...o-days-testing
Alpine boss responds to Prost outrage
February 17, 2022 · by thejudge13
Alpine boss responds to four time F1 Champion Alain Prost’s scathing comments – Alain Prost was outraged with Laurent Rossi the current Renault Alpine boss, to whom he considered responsible for his departure. Rossi has responded with an interview with the French publication L’Equipe.
“Relations became more and more complicated, I felt that there was a lot of jealousy” alledges the Frenchman before adding that “Laurent Rossi’s wish is to be alone, not to be influenced by anyone (…)” and that “There is a real desire to put many people aside. Laurent Rossi wants all the limelight.”
And now, Laurent Rossi replied to him with an interview in the same publication saying: “I was indeed very visible [within the team], because I needed to understand what was going on in the field. And then, being an engineer, I know how my peers work.”
‘Alpine F1 understanding’;
https://thejudge13.com/2022/02/17/al...prost-outrage/
Rossi: The old Alpine structure was not working
Reuters
18 February, 2022
“I want to say that the old structure was not working,” Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi told Reuters and two other journalists in a select media round-table. We went through the season, we never made a fool of ourselves, it was just fine.
“Now was it the right structure to move forward and take the team to the next level because the team has been plateauing and rather was in almost a negative slope,” he added, referencing the triple-pronged leadership matrix management style that was put in place last year at Alpine
‘Alpine F1 Triple-Prolonged Matrix Management abandoned’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...-in-formula-1/
Otmar Szafnauer joins Alpine as their new team principal just one month after leaving Aston Martin and has set the French F1 manufacturer the goal of challenging for the championship 'within the next 100 races'
• Alpine have revealed Otmar Szafnauer will be their new team principal for 2022
• Bruno Famin also joins as executive director of Renault's Viry engine operation
• Szafnauer left Aston Martin last month after 12 years at the Silverstone-outfit
• By Kieran Lynch For Mailonline
• Published: 16:48, 17 February 2022
Alpine have appointed former Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer as their new team principle as part of a wider management restructure at the Renault-owned Formula One outfit.
A goal has been set for Alpine to fight for the championship within the next 100 races.
‘100 Race Target for F1 World Championship [EL PLAN!]’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...on-Martin.html
Rossi: 'Overachiever' Szafnauer knows what it takes to build a team
Phillip van Osten18/02/2022 at 06:51
Szafnauer's move to Enstone was an open secret since the end of last season and a question of when rather than if, especially in the wake of his exit from Aston Martin earlier this year.
At the helm of Force India and its Racing Point iteration, Szafnauer built his reputation as a diligent manager who blends his savvy expertise with a keen sense of productivity
‘F1 Team building’;
https://f1i.com/news/432214-rossi-ov...ld-a-team.html
Alpine set for blue & pink livery as BWT becomes F1 title sponsor
F1
Connor McDonagh
11 Feb 2022
BWT will be the Alpine Formula 1 team's title sponsor for the 2022 season, with the new livery set to feature blue and pink.
The new deal will see the team renamed as BWT Alpine F1 Team.
‘BWT Alpine F1’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/996317...-title-sponsor
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'Midfield teams will be challenging for F1 wins in 2022' says Ross Brawn.
Ross Brawn led the changes to F1's 2022 regulation. He says they are still on course to level the playing field and explains why doing nothing was not an option — even after the thrilling 2021 season.
February 17th 2022
Author Adam Cooper
“I’m very excited about the coming season,” says Brawn.
The new aero package is very much Brawn’s baby: “F1 is in a great place. And I think this is another great step. It will take a little while to settle down and bed in. But the alternative, which was to leave the cars alone, really wasn’t a great alternative.”
“And there’s lots of optimism for the season. And I think we’ll see some interesting results this year from some of these young hotshoes who are coming through. They get the right car behind them, and we can all have a lot of fun.”
‘F1 Hotshoes!’, ‘F1 Optimism for the Season’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...ys-ross-brawn#
Red Bull suffer nightmare first track session and Mercedes may have same problem
RED BULL had their shakedown test at Silverstone scheduled for Thursday.
By STUART BALLARD
07:01, Sat, Feb 19, 2022
Thursday was the first scheduled opportunity for both Verstappen and Perez to get their hands on the car around a track.
Verstappen did get a small run in the RB18, reportedly completing 50 laps around Silverstone.
But the shakedown test proved a nightmare for Perez in particular as he failed to get on track due to poor weather conditions, according to RacingNews365.
‘Red Bull shakedown’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...George-Russell
Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto looking to copy Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen car tricks
FERRARI will have a close eye on Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's cars.
By MIKAEL MCKENZIE
06:50, Sun, Feb 20, 2022
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says he will observe, copy and introduce any ideas that he spots on his rivals' cars during pre-season testing and the first few Grands Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are still expected to be handed the strongest cars on the grid as they continue their title challenge.
"I think that the first tests and the first Grands Prix will tell us how well we have done, but I also think that it will be very important at the beginning of the season to understand the behaviour of these cars, to adapt, to correct, and possibly even to copy,” Binotto told Canal+.
‘Ferrari keeping a close eye’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...tappen-F1-news
Aston Martin reveal F1 Barcelona test line-up
Sam Hall
Thursday 17 February 2022 16:50
Aston Martin has confirmed how Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll will divide the three days of running at the first pre-season test of 2022 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
F1's pre-season begins with a three-day session at the Spanish track from February 23-25.
‘Aston Martin F1 Barcelona test line-up’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/76...-test-line-up/
McLaren to run shakedown ‘very close’ to Barcelona test
Date published: February 14 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse
McLaren do plan to give the MCL36 a shakedown run before the opening testing period at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“Similar to probably every other team, we’re also planning to do a filming day very close to the start of the official test in Barcelona,” McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl told Motorsport.com.
“That’s in the schedule. [We] still have a lot of boxes to tick in the next week to be finally ready for that.
‘McLaren MCL36 boxes to tick’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclare...arcelona-test/
FIA aiming to avoid "nasty surprises" in Bahrain opener
Ian Parkes
Friday 18 February 2022 08:15
The FIA has revealed to assisting the 10 F1 teams in the build-up to the new era of aerodynamic regulations with a series of legality checks on their cars in a bid to avoid what it has described as "nasty surprises" at the first race in Bahrain.
Asked whether there were any alarm bells ringing from the FIA's perspective over what it had witnessed so far, the head of single-seater technical matters Nikolas Tombazis said: "We have seen some cars launched. We're also undergoing a process with the teams and doing individual sessions with them to track their legalities so that we try to avoid nasty surprises in the first race. That is proceeding okay as a process."
Conceding to seeing "a few surprises here and there", Tombazis added: "There are some areas where there is a bit more difference between the cars than we expected, where engineers have applied their innovative skills to come up with solutions.”
‘A few surprises here and there’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/75...ahrain-opener/
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How Alpine set the groundwork to kick ‘El Plan’ into high gear for 2022.
A rebrand to Alpine for 2021 marked a fresh start with fresh opportunities, as well as a revised target for the future. Driver Fernando Alonso would later encapsulate Alpine’s renewed mentality and overall dedication to the future by coining the mantra of “El Plan”.
2022 F1 season
Posted on
20th February 2022, 18:16 | Written by Will Wood
Rossi made it very clear that, for the team, there was a new target in their sites – and the ambitions went far beyond mere podiums. The new timeframe for success was now 100 races – roughly over five seasons beginning in 2021 – to become a championship winning team. (EL PLAN)
Alonso and Ocon will likely both be looking to move closer to the front of the field in 2022 but, this year more than any, it’s almost impossible to judge what could happen when the radical new cars are let loose in anger at Bahrain. But when the team do unveil their new car on Monday, it will be with the confidence of knowing they now feel they have all the pieces in execute ‘El Plan’ and begin the process of turning their dreams of championship glory into a reality.
‘EL PLAN’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/20/...gear-for-2022/
Fernando Alonso looks ready for 20th F1 season as he shares training insight.
Fernando Alonso is counting down the days to his 20th pre-season in Formula 1, with him sharing some insight into his training programme with just a week to go until the first test at Barcelona gets underway.
By George Dagless
Published: 16 Feb 2022, 08:53
For the drivers, meanwhile, pre-season preparation has already been underway for a while and it’s certainly not a new experience for Alonso who is set to enter his 20th Formula 1 campaign.
He appears as committed as ever to being on top of his game, though, with him preparing his neck muscles for the season to come by putting his head in this resistance band and trying to not let it get the better of him:
‘Fernando Alonso committed’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87973477...aining-insight
Alonso reveals hopes for 2022 Alpine challenger
Ian Parkes
Monday 7 February 2022 13:55
Fernando Alonso has revealed his hopes for the new Alpine A522 after the team stepped up its trackside processes last year.
"More power on the straights and more downforce in the corner, that is what we are aiming for, all drivers," explained Alonso.
"The trackside is quite strong now. We saw [last year] we scored, both cars, in a race where we maybe didn't have the pace to score with both cars so we are strong in many areas.”
‘Alpine A522 hopes’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/75...ne-challenger/
Alonso big wish for this season
February 9, 2022 · by thejudge13
Alonso wants “a more competitive package” this season
“What I want to have on track in a few days in Barcelona? Just a more competitive package coming out of our factories in Enstone and Viry. We have been working for several months and we have high hopes,” said Fernando Alonso.
‘Fernando’s big wish’;
https://thejudge13.com/2022/02/09/al...r-this-season/
Renault putting engine performance before reliability
Date published: February 20 2022 - Frank Parker
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says Renault are favouring a more performance-driven direction with their engine, ahead of outright reliability.
Rossi admits it was a difficult decision but hopes the team can iron out any reliability concerns from a good performance benchmark.
“Either reliability or performance, you can’t very well have both,” said Rossi, quoted by Motorsport-Total.com. “So where do we push the development? During the [development] year, we had some moments when reliability was lacking. That’s a choice we made because our only leverage [last season] was reliability.”
‘Renault favouring more performance’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/renaul...e-reliability/
Alpine Reinforces Management Structure with New Team Members, Appointment of Otmar Szafnauer as Team Principal
By Ashley Cline
February 20, 2022
BWT Alpine F1 Team have announced Otmar Szafnauer as their new Team Principal last Thursday, as well as the appointment of Bruno Famin as the Executive Director of Alpine Racing in Viry-Châtillon and Davide Brivio as Director of Racing Expansion Projects. This series of management changes come as part of a review launched in November 2021, with the purpose of enhancing team operations in light of 2022’s new technical regulations.
‘Management structuring in detail’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...eam-principal/
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SEASON REVIEW: 2021 Formula 1 World Championship – Alpine F1 Team.
It has already been an eventful build-up to 2022 for Alpine, after the French-side parted ways with their Executive Director Marcin Budkowski. It’s difficult to see how Alpine can improve in 2022 after arguably achieving the best they could in 2021.
By Nick Golding
February 2, 2022
In order to move up the order next season Alpine will have to take the fight to one of the big teams in the sport. It seems unlikely that Alpine will be able to compete regularly against Mercedes, Red Bull Racing or Scuderia Ferrari, leaving only the Mclaren F1 Team who in themselves are considered as a real potential underdog for 2022, after their rapid progression since 2020.
Alpine should be looking to again seal at least fifth in the Constructors’ Standings, anything higher would resemble an exceptional season. For this too happen both Alonso and Ocon need to kick the ground running at the start of the campaign, a clean and positive winter for the team could give their drivers the best chance of doing so
Alonso will just be looking to do what he does best, deliver consistent points week in week out, the Spaniard is also well used to adjusting his driving style to new technical regulations in the sport. This could play massively in his favour at the start of 2022, where the cars will all be drastically different to recent years due to the new technical regulations and guidelines.
‘Alpine F1 El Plan’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...lpine-f1-team/
Alonso "stronger" after achieving "main goal" of F1 return
Sam Hall
Monday 31 January 2022 12:46
Fernando Alonso has declared he feels "strong" ahead of the new F1 season after completing his comeback year.
The Spaniard was outclassed in the early races of his comeback by team-mate Esteban Ocon but as the races passed, Alonso's pace steadily improved.
His podium in Qatar as well as a stout defence against Lewis Hamilton in Hungary to protect the lead of Ocon served as a reminder of those doubting Alonso's continued talents.
"I am happy, I am happy with the comeback," said Alonso in a post-season media briefing including GPFans.
‘Fernando happy and strong’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/74...-of-f1-return/
Alpine CEO not ruling out white F1 livery
ANDREW MAITLAND
FEBRUARY 21, 2022
The tantalising prospect of a white 2022 livery is not being ruled out by Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. Actually, the Renault-owned team is preparing to reveal a blue and pink car for the start of the all-new regulations era, with the latter colour marking the switch of Austrian water company BWT from Aston Martin to Alpine.
The next exciting rumour is that a sponsorship with Real Madrid, one of the most successful football clubs of all time, could be on the cards for Alpine.
“I don’t think Alpine has enough money to sponsor Real Madrid,” Rossi laughed.
“If an agreement is reached, we will paint the car white,” Renault CEO Luca de Meo added.
‘Alpine A522 car colour scheme’;
https://grandpx.news/alpine-ceo-not-...ite-f1-livery/
Leaked images of the real Red Bull & Alpine’s 2022 F1 car
February 20, 2022 · by thejudge13
The French manufacturer, Alpine, will unveil its 2022 car on tomorrow evening (Monday, 2ast February 2022) at around 5.30pm (UK) in an event that will be broadcast live on the team’s various social channels.
Alonso and Ocon’s car will take to the track on Tuesday 22nd of February for a shakedown, while the team will then take part in the first winter test of the year at the same circuit (23rd to 25th February).
‘Alpine A522 shakedown Tuesday 23rd February 2022’;
https://thejudge13.com/2022/02/20/le...s-2022-f1-car/
WATCH the Alpine A522 launch for the 2022 Formula 1 season
Published by Alex Shahini on February 21, 2022
A team that managed a few surprise performances throughout the 2021 season is that of Alpine. After a shock win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the racing outfit looks to better their P5 in the constructors’ championship with the Alpine A522.
Pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is only two days away and French outfit Alpine is one of the last to reveal the highly anticipated 2022-spec Formula 1 challengers. Driven for the second season by veteran World Champion Fernando Alonso and 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix race winner Esteban Ocon, the team hopes to improve their P5 finish after positive results in last year’s campaign.
‘Alpine A522 launch is GO’;
https://www.carmag.co.za/speed/formu...unch/undefined
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Will Alpine’s end its F1 stagnation in 2022? Our verdict
Alpine – which launches its 2022 F1 design in France on Monday evening – has already revealed a substantial management and technical line-up reshuffle for the new season.
The Race
21st Feb 2022, 13:38
Alpine is neither a top team nor one on a clear path that is taking it there.
You look at McLaren and you see direction. You look at Ferrari and you see vast potential. Alpine is a bigger organisation than Sauber or AlphaTauri with heavyweight infrastructure and which even manufactures its own power units. It used to be a giant but now punches well below its weight, almost as if it’s permanently misfiring. It’s still aspiring to be an actual challenger, in much the same way as Aston Martin. Yet the route to that aspiration is not obvious.
Four-time F1 champion Alain Prost has also departed from his advisory role, firing a broadside at Alpine on the way.
‘Alpine A522 still aspiring’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/will-...2-our-verdict/
Why Alpine's engines are keeping the Renault name alive
21/02/2022, ý15ý:ý00
Author Dieter Rencken
Co-author Thomas Maher
Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365.com, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has explained why the team's engines continue to be badged as Renault.
Despite the F1 team rebranding for 2021, and changing their base livery colour to the traditional Alpine blue, the team opted against rebranding their engines. As a result, the Alpine team continued to be powered by Renault engines last year, and this will not change for 2022.
‘Renault alive’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-alpine...ult-name-alive
Alpine opts for performance over reliability with new engine design
Phillip van Osten21/02/2022 at 12:07
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi directed the French outfit to go all-in on the development of its new engine for 2022, opting to put performance over reliability.
"It's either reliability or performance, as you usually have a hard time having both," Rossi told the media. "So it's just where do you push the envelope?
"During the year [of development] we experienced a couple of moments where the reliability was not there, but that's our choice because the only lever we are going to have at our disposal this year is reliability.
‘Alpine A522 push the envelope’;
https://f1i.com/news/432459-alpine-o...ne-design.html
Renault pushing performance over reliability with new split-turbo F1 engine
Renault says it is ready to risk reliability headaches with its new split-turbo Formula 1 engine, after electing to push its performance limits.
By:
Jonathan Noble
Feb 21, 2022, 9:33 AM
The French manufacturer has built an all-new power unit for this season which most significantly sees it finally adopt the split turbine and compressor concept pioneered by Mercedes.
Renault is clear that it needs to lift its power figures if it is going to fight at the front of the grid over the next few years, and Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says he has urged his engine staff not to play things safe and focus only on reliability.
Instead, he has told them to push on in seeking performance gains, as he feels that it will be easier to cure a fast but fragile power unit under F1's new engine freeze rules rather than having to recover any laptime deficit.
‘Renault all-new power unit’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...ngine/8365638/
Alpine Boss Says Renault’s Artificial Intelligence Expertise Can Help F1 Team
3 Feb 2022, 10:35 UTC ·
by Sergiu Tudose
The Alpine chief exec knows there is still a substantial performance gap between his team and rival squads such as Mercedes and Red Bull. However, his side does have a bit of an ace up their sleeve, thanks to parent road car company Renault, reports Autosport.
“The fact that Formula 1 is moving more and more towards less and less physical testing, with more and more simulations and data analysis, in the Renault group, we have AI machine learning scientists, of top-notch quality.”
‘Renault’s Artificial Intelligence’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/a...am-180691.html
How Renault’s AI can push Alpine forward in F1
Date published: February 3 2022 - Ben Johnston
“We want to win races and possibly a championship, and that’s by the end of 2024 or 2025, depending on when the regulations period ends,” he (Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi) said.
“I believe we have all the tools to get there in the specific environment. We have AI machine learning scientists, of top-notch quality, which has been used for the past 20 years everywhere on the manufacturing side, on marketing, everywhere.”
‘Alpine A522 AI machine learning’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/renaul...lpine-benefit/
-
Alpine launch not one, but two, A522 liveries.
Alpine have taken the covers off their 2022 car, the A522, just two days before the start of pre-season testing.
Date published: February 21 2022 - Michelle Foster
Formula 1 has a new look this season, the sport adopting ground effect aerodynamics in a bid to create cars that are easier to follow which would lead to better racing.
To date no two teams designs have been the same with the nose, sidepods and edges of the floors catching the eye.
But with the Alpine, we’re going to have to a little longer to see the actual A522 in all of its glory as the car is already in Barcelona for a filming day on Tuesday.
‘Alpine A522 two liveries’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...22-challenger/
GALLERY: Check out Alpine’s special pink livery for the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs
21 February 2022
Alpine unveiled their blue-and-pink A522 challenger for the 2022 season in a dramatic launch show from Paris. But there was a pink-and-blue challenger to be shown off too, as the team revealed a special livery for the first two Grands Prix of the year.
For the season-opening Bahrain and Saudi Grands Prix, the A522 will wear a predominantly pink paint job, in a nod to new title sponsors BWT, before reverting back to the team’s more regular blue-dominated livery thereafter.
‘Alpine A522 pink paint job’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...0PH9IZiML.html
Alpine to run alternative pink livery for first two 2022 F1 races
by Fergal Walsh
11 hours ago
Alpine has confirmed that it will run a predominantly pink livery for the opening two races of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
The inclusion of pink comes the deal it signed with Austrian water treatment company BWT, who is its title sponsor for the upcoming season.
However, for the opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, a revised livery will be used, in which the car will be mostly pink.
‘Alpine A522 two races pink’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...f-2022-season/
First pictures: Alpine reveal new car and two liveries for 2022 F1 season
2022 F1 season
Posted on
21st February 2022, 17:4922nd February 2022, 9:51 | Written by Keith Collantine
With Otmar Szafnauer arriving from Aston Martin to take over as team principal following the departure of former executive director Marcin Budkowski.
“I’ve had the displeasure, I would say, of racing against these formidable competitors,” said Szafnauer. “I remember too well the win in Hungary where they didn’t put a foot wrong and I congratulate them that they are such competitors, a group of racers and I look forward to joining them and helping them not just beat the Aston Martins of this world but everybody else on track.”
‘Alpine A522 formidable competitors’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/21/...022-f1-season/
Blue and pink, pink and blue: A look at the Alpine A522
Date published: February 21 2022 - Henry Valantine
Pink has returned to the Formula 1 grid, with the BWT-sponsored Alpine A522 being unveiled to the world on Monday evening.
As with their sponsorship of Racing Point and Force India before that, BWT’s influence has seen pink added to the blue colour scheme seen last season in Alpine’s debut year on the grid.
‘‘Pink has returned’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...aunch-gallery/
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Gary Anderson: Alpine’s solid 2022 launch spec hints at secrets
It does look like a neat and tidy package and somewhere positive to start from.
21 Feb 2022, 21:06
By Gary Anderson
It’s the only team using the Renault power unit package, so that means just one team and two drivers for development feedback, while reliability-wise that’s just two units worth of mileage for each race weekend – and one during pre-season testing.
Compare that to its rival works teams – Mercedes has eight sets of info, Ferrari six and Honda (under the Red Bull name) four – that definitely is a limitation and will hurt development.
It is going to have to live with that lack of feedback. But what’s crucial is that the feedback is listened to which has not always been the case in the past.
‘Renault power feedback’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...ts-at-secrets/
Alpine: Redesigned power unit boosted A522 aero gains
Phillip van Osten22/02/2022 at 08:37
Alpine technical director Matt Harman says the new architecture of Renault's 2022 engine allowed the team's engineers to "express themselves" aerodynamically while designing the A522.
"At the very beginning of these regulations, we actually started with the power unit mainly because it does set some of the key areas of the car aerodynamically," said Harman.
"We did a full review of this area of the car and we decided to change the architecture of that power unit extensively in all areas including the internal combustion engine, the ERS, the turbo and its positioning in the car and that has given us some real gains in terms of our ability to express ourselves aerodynamically and achieve that ultimate lap time of the car."
‘A522 aero gains’;
https://f1i.com/news/432537-alpine-r...ero-gains.html
Alpine found “real gains” from redesigned Renault power unit for 2022
2022 F1 season
Posted on
21st February 2022, 19:37 | Written by Keith Collantine
Alpine have found significant performance gains from the new power unit Renault has developed for the 2022 season, according to the team’s technical director.
“The RE22 is a power unit that we’ve reviewed back-to-front,” said Harman. “We have looked at every aspect of it in terms of its integration into the chassis, its base performance and the combination of the two.”
“We’ve looked at the ERS system and its attributes. We’ve looked at the ICE, we’ve looked extensively on the structures that support the ICE. We’ve also looked at some of the electrical machines in terms of the MGU-K and also the turbo, making some quite big changes in that area to complement the A522 architecture and again, to allow us to extract maximum performance from both the power unit, the chassis and the combined product of the two.”
‘Finding “real gains” from redesigned Renault power’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/21/...unit-for-2022/
Engine overhaul allowed Alpine to ‘express ourselves’ on aero
The Race
21 Feb 2022, 19:24
The changes cover a “back to front” review of the power unit, says Alpine technical director Matt Harman, with the engine’s “integration into the chassis, its base performance and the combination of the two” the priority. But the integration of the chassis and power unit is being overseen by new Alpine technical director Matt Harman – a former Mercedes High Performance Powertrains employee.
Unsurprisingly, Harman’s messaging around the launch of Alpine’s A522 has leant heavily on improved integration of the Enstone and Viry facilities – making the focus “not local optimums but broad overall laptimes for the race car”.
“At the very beginning of these regulations, we actually started with the power unit mainly because it does set some of the key areas of the car aerodynamically,” said Harman.
‘Alpine A522 ‘express ourselves’ on aero’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-en...elves-on-aero/
Podcast: Our verdict on Alpine’s 2022 F1 car
The Race
Monday, 21st Feb 2022, 23:08
Alpine is a works team that has been aggressive with its power unit design and that has a strong driver line-up spearheaded by Fernando Alonso, yet as we explain in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast, it has conservative objectives for 2022.
There’s a look at the major change to the power unit configuration, and what that means for the car packaging.
We also take a close look at the sidepod concept and the reasons for the various aerodynamic decisions that have been made with the car.
‘Listen to the verdict’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/podca...s-2022-f1-car/
ANALYSIS: Have Alpine discovered an aerodynamic sweet spot with distinctive A522?
Special contributor
Mark Hughes
21 February 2022
A first glance at the computer render of the Alpine A522 which will shake down on Tuesday at Barcelona suggests it’s a neat-looking car.
The visual points of distinction between the A522 and other cars we’ve seen so far in this 2022 launch period are short, heavily downward-ramped sidepods which form a completely separate structure from a deep engine cover, without the converging of the two parts of bodywork seen on other cars.
‘New PU, Distinctive aerodynamics’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ZGuUOqup5.html
-
Alonso: It’s been a year and a half waiting for these car.
“I came back to the sport … because of this regulation,” said 40-year-old Alonso, at the launch of Alpine’s 2022 challenger in Paris, when asked if the new rules could be a game-changer. “So it’s been a year and a half waiting for these cars.”
Reuters
21 February, 2022
Alonso, who scored a podium last year and whose future beyond this season will hinge on how competitive the team can get, said he was confident they were ready to take on 2022.
“I’m more optimistic than last year probably because the new rules gives you that hope that everything can change and you (can) be competitive from race one,” he said.
In the team press release he said: “It’s good to be back and I’ve been working hard to be ready for the new season. The build-up has been a long time coming after the rule change was delayed due to the pandemic.
‘Fernando Alonso optimistic’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...for-these-car/
Ocon choosing to ignore rivals’ development rumours
Date published: February 21 2022 - Henry Valantine
Esteban Ocon is preferring to focus on himself and Alpine this year, rather than getting himself wrapped up in the inevitable development war in Formula 1. “This year is extremely exciting for Formula 1 and for us as a team,” said Ocon, quoted by Formula1.com.
“It’s like the cards have been redistributed, it’s a fresh start and there is going to be a real mix without immediately knowing who will be at the front.”
“We don’t know what will happen; you could say that provides some anxiety, heading into the unknown, but I find that exciting. It’s not necessarily about who will start the season the quickest, but more about who will end it the quickest.”
‘Esteban Ocon focus’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/esteba...l-development/
Alonso 'confident' of Alpine's F1 chances
Issued on: 21/02/2022 - 20:42
Paris (AFP) – Double world champion Fernando Alonso said on Monday Alpine are "confident" of their chances this Formula One season as they presented their new car.
"The car looks fantastic with the new regulations in place and I like the new livery.
"We have a new engine and we're confident we had a good development in place for this new generation of car," he added.
‘Alpine A522 looks fantastic’;
https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...e-s-f1-chances
Alonso ready to fight: This is why I came back to F1
Fernando Alonso is excited by the potential for the 2022 rules reset to shake up the pecking order in Formula 1.
Yesterday, 19:15
Fernando Alonso has declared that he and Alpine are "ready" for the challenge of Formula 1's all-new technical regulations, which come into play in 2022.
"2021 was a good season for us; Esteban won a race, I was back on the podium and it was a kind of continuation of the 2020 performance from Renault," said Alonso at the launch of Alpine's 2022 F1 car, the A522.
"I think the team did an amazing job in the last year, building this car, so we are all very motivated. We won't know where everyone stands until [the first race in] Bahrain, but we're excited to take the car for its first spin in testing this week," he (Alonso) said.
‘Fernando Alonso ready to fight’;
https://racingnews365.com/alonso-rea...ame-back-to-f1
Alonso: Alpine’s car has “interesting solutions” to F1’s new rules
2022 F1 season
Posted on
21st February 2022, 18:5421st February 2022, 18:56 | Written by Will Wood
Alonso says Alpine’s new car has been designed to embrace the new technical regulations in an “interesting” way. “The new car, I really like the livery,” Alonso said. “I like the colours, the combination.
“Obviously the technical side of it, we have to keep secret. We have to first hit the track and see how it behaves. I think it’s going to be a very intense winter for us where we need to develop the car as fast as we can and learn from the new regulations. But we have some interesting solutions on the car and let’s see if we can unlock the performance as soon as possible.”
“This my second year with Alpine and, yeah, I’m more optimistic than last year probably,” Alonso said. “The new rules give you that hope that everything can change and you can suddenly be competitive from race one. So I’m optimistic. I’m confident that the team did a good job with the car and we’re ready to go.”
‘Alpine A522 “interesting solutions”!’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/21/...f1s-new-rules/
Ocon opens up on relationship with supposedly ‘difficult’ Alonso
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon ended 2021 P10 and P11, respectively, in the Drivers' Championship.
by Rob Kershaw
4 February 20224 February 2022
Esteban Ocon has refuted the notion that Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso is a hard man to work with, revealing that he has only had pleasant exchanges with the Spaniard. He partnered the Frenchman at Alpine in 2021, and Ocon has described him as a “hell of a racer” but denies he is difficult to work with.
“A lot of people said Fernando was very difficult to work with, that he had a reputation for breaking team-mates and all that,” he said, as quoted by Racer.
“I wanted to see it from my eyes, I wanted to see if what people were saying was true and in the end it wasn’t. We’ve just had a fantastic collaboration all together.
‘Fantastic collaboration’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/ocon-open...ficult-alonso/
-
Fighting talk from Szafnauer in new Alpine role.
Away from the aesthetics, Otmar Szafnauer was clear in his own personal targets with his new team and wants to be the person to help build and maintain a strong bond within Alpine, providing the team with a platform for real success in the years to come.
Date published: February 21 2022 - Mark Scott
Asked what he felt he could bring to the Alpine team in his new role, Szafnauer replied: “I will bring my style of collaborative leadership.
“I heard Luca [De Meo, Renault CEO] mentioned that the glue that keeps us all together is very important and I too feel that the glue that keeps us all together, pointing in the right direction, is the key to this.
‘Alpine A522 Glue’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/otmar-...g-talk-alpine/
Szafnauer: Great to team up with Ocon again at Alpine
Phillip van Osten21/02/2022 at 19:11
New Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer is delighted to rekindle his working relationship with Esteban Ocon but the American is equally happy to work with Fernando Alonso.
Szafnauer oversaw Ocon's development at Force India during two seasons – in 2017 and 2018 – when the Frenchman raced alongside Sergio Perez.
"I know Esteban very well from his two seasons at Force India," he said. "Back then, he was young, raw, hugely talented and very quick on-track. In fact, not much has changed since. His talent is clear to see, and I was very happy and proud to see him claim his first Grand Prix win last season.”
Otmar Szafnauer and Esteban Ocon;
https://f1i.com/news/432512-szafnaue...at-alpine.html
‘I know how good Alpine can become’ says new Team Principal Szafnauer, after launching 2022 challenger
21 February 2022
Newly-installed Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has vowed to bring success to the Enstone/Viry-based outfit, after he helped launch the team’s A522 challenger for the 2022 season.
“Everyone knows Fernando’s exceptional qualities. His experience is invaluable, and I thoroughly believe the team’s line-up is amongst the strongest on the grid. It’s going to be enjoyable to work with a motorsport legend in Fernando and to reunite with Esteban.”
‘Otmar Szafnauer vow of Alpine success’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...hSYavfPT3.html
Fifth place the minimum target for 2022 – Alpine
by Fergal Walsh
22 Feb 2022, 09:18
Alpine has set its minimum target for the 2022 Formula 1 season as fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, according to its Chief Executive Officer Laurent Rossi.
“So far, we have hit our targets and we are happy with the progress we are showing, but we have to be realistic that this year all the cards are thrown in the air.
“We don’t know where we are going to be until we all hit the track. However, what we all need to bear in mind is that where we start isn’t important; it’s where we finish.
‘It’s where Alpine A522 finish’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...r-2022-alpine/
Alpine make positive prediction for 2022 Formula 1 campaign
By George Dagless
Published: 22 Feb 2022, 13:20
What matters most, though, is how it looks against the stopwatch and, speaking at the launch event in Paris yesterday, Alpine’s technical director Matt Harman explained that the team is feeling confident over potential gains thanks to a rethink with their entire power unit.
“We did a full review of this area of the car and we decided to change the architecture of that power unit extensively in all areas, including the internal combustion engine, the ERS system, the turbo and its positioning in the car.
“That has given us some real gains in terms of our ability to express ourselves aerodynamically and achieve the ultimate lap time of the car.
‘Positive Alpine A522;’
https://www.givemesport.com/87975793...ula-1-campaign
Alpine eyes adding rivals’ best designs to its ‘load of upgrades’
The Race
22/02/2022, 13:22
Alpine has “a load of upgrades” planned for the second pre-season Formula 1 test and opening round in Bahrain and will “try and pick the best pieces” off other cars for future development.
Alpine chief technical officer Pat Fry said: “The first two tests and the early races there’s going to be a massive step in learning.”
“We’ve obviously had our own ideas of what this set of rules means. We’re going to see nine other options of what that is. We’ll try and pick the best pieces out of everything.”
‘Picking the best bit and pieces out of nine other options’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alpin...d-of-upgrades/
New Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer Extremely Excited For 2022
By Nick Golding
February 22, 2022
Szafnauer is incredibly entering his 24th season in F1, in that time he has seen plenty of technical regulation changes, something which he is very excited about for the upcoming season where the team will be hoping they’ve mastered the A522.
“This time of year is always filled with anticipation and excitement. This season, that is only amplified as Formula 1 heads into a new era. I’m very excited to see the A522 on-track and seeing how we can keep developing the entire package over the course of the season.”
“Right now is a fantastic moment. It’s when the talking stops and the on-track actions take over. Everyone’s hard work has certainly paid off in designing and creating the car. I’m very proud to be joining this team and being part of the transition and future progress.”
‘Alpine A522 extreme excitement’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ited-for-2022/
-
Alpine’s Pat Fry: “It’s going to be interesting to see the ten different versions of the cars”.
“The key area for this year for every team is getting the most from the floor”
By Paul Hensby
February 22, 2022
“Of course, we’re all looking forward to seeing the A522 on track and seeing all the hard work at Enstone and Viry over the last couple of years come to fruition.”
“I strongly expect there to be many differences between the cars, especially at first when we see for the very first time how we’ve all interpreted the rule book,” he concluded. “Some parts are fairly set such as the rear wing and the front wing.
“I’m sure there will be some interesting concepts that we’ll see from other teams, which we’ll assess back at base after the tests and, equally, that will work vice versa. The intrigue is all part of the excitement when you roll out of the garage for the first time at testing.
‘Ten different versions of the cars’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...s-of-the-cars/
Five big questions ahead of the Barcelona F1 test
22/02/2022, 20:00
Author Tom Leach
Pre-season testing is almost upon us. At 08:00 GMT on Wednesday morning, 23 February, Formula 1 cars will hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first of six four-hour sessions over a three-day period.
RacingNews365.com looks ahead to what promises to be a revealing Barcelona test with five big questions.
Which teams have cracked the code of F1's new regulations?
Will fewer testing days have a lasting impact?
Who will get the early edge in the teammate battles?
Can anyone match Mercedes in the engine stakes?
Have F1's new regulations delivered?
‘Five big questions’;
https://racingnews365.com/five-big-q...celona-f1-test
Barcelona pre-season test: Day 1 driver line-up
by Motorsport Week
This week’s three-day test is running at Spanish Grand Prix venue the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with track activity due to take place from 09:00 to 13:00, and from 14:00 to 18:00.
Each team is permitted to field one car on each day; some teams will run only one driver each day while others will split duties between their regular racers.
‘Day 1 driver line-up’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...river-line-up/
The big talking points as F1 rivals get back on track
By Luke Slater and Uche Amako
February 23, 2022 — 11.30am
Formula One testing is in Barcelona for the next three days, and while a Mercedes rivalry will be in the spotlight, there are plenty more subplots ahead of the 2022 F1 season.
Can George Russell fire a warning to Lewis Hamilton?
Mercedes’ decision to focus on 2022 could be justified
Are Red Bull on the back foot?
Ferrari could finally produce a title-contending car again
Expect Daniel Ricciardo to make a faster start than he did last year
Aston Martin and Alpine - big investment, but are they faster?
Will McLaren’s 2015 nightmare be revisited
Speed difference
‘Big talking points’;
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/motorsp...23-p59yxe.html
F1 2022 cars: From Mercedes to Red Bull, what we know about every new Formula 1 car ahead of testing
By Sam Cooper
February 22, 2022 2:06 pm
With nine out of 10 teams having unveiled the product of their hard work, here is what we have learned ahead of the new season:
Teams have taken a wildly different approach to car design
We still do not know exactly how each team’s car will look
Predicting the early frontrunners is a tough ask
‘The known variables’;
https://inews.co.uk/sport/formula-on...79?ITO=newsnow
5 things to watch for when 2022 pre-season running begins in Barcelona
Staff writer
Greg Stuart
22 February 2022
We’re pretty much done and dusted with the 2022 launch season, and now it’s time for all 10 teams to hit the track for three days of pre-season running. Here’s what to watch for at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as this year’s on-track action gets under way.
1. A new era of F1 begins
2. Who’s showing their true hand – and who’s sandbagging?
3. Will any team have reliability issues?
4. New and returning faces
5. Will teams practice following another car?
‘Watching and observing’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Xo1ADfdks.html
F1 pre-season testing: Six big 2022 questions to be answered in Barcelona
Daniel AustinTuesday 22 Feb 2022 12:35 pm
Despite its peculiar billing as a mere ‘shakedown’, this is a pre-season test in all but name, with teams engaging in three days’ worth of running across Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each squad will run one car in Barcelona, with drivers splitting their time in the cockpit with their respective team-mates.
Though some media will be able to attend the Barcelona test, the event will not be broadcast live, so fans will only be able to follow the action and glean information via photography and reports. That doesn’t meant that we won’t learn plenty, though, before the second formal test takes place in Bahrain on 10-12 March.
These are six big questions we could find out answers to from this week’s test.
Can cars really follow each other more closely?
Are the lap times much slower than last season?
How big is the new tyre visibility problem?
Why has the Alfa Romeo not been launched yet?
What is really going with Red Bull’s aero package?
Is the Alpine engine reliable?
‘Six BIG questions’;
https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/22/f1-pr...o=newsnow-feed
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What to expect from F1’s first pre-season test at Barcelona?
Despite considerable interest surrounding the new cars, the first time they will run on track together will be behind closed doors with no live timing or television coverage.
F1
Lewis Larkam
22 Feb 2022
With no fans in attendance, F1 is treating the 23-25 February test as effectively being an extended shakedown session, before a second three-day event in Bahrain - which will be broadcast - takes place between 10-12 March.
‘Shakedown behind closed doors’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/996...test-barcelona
Barcelona running to conclude with wet tyre test
Date published: February 22 2022 - Jon Wilde
Each team will be allowed to use 30 sets of tyres over the three days from an allocation of 35 slicks, three intermediates and three wets.
The latter are to be used on the final half-day, Friday afternoon, when the circuit will be dampened artificially if necessary. That will not happen though if it has rained earlier in the week and the wet tyres have already had to be rolled out.
‘Wet tyre test’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/barcel...ude-wet-tyres/
Test line-up for Barcelona
NEWS STORY
22/02/2022
Ahead of the opening three-day test, only Ferrari and Alpine have yet to confirm their line-ups.
While there is talk of sandbagging this is unlikely to be the case, for with the focus on reliability outright pace won't be an issue until Bahrain.
One thing F1 bosses will be hoping for however is an early clue as to whether the aero regulations overhaul has impacted the whole issue of dirty air, and whether cars will not be able to follow one another more closely.
‘Early clues’;
https://www.pitpass.com/71848/Test-l...-for-Barcelona
All 20 Formula One drivers return to action for first time since Abu Dhabi controversy at PRIVATE pre-season testing event in Barcelona this week - but with no live TV coverage, no fans and new regulations changing the game, NOBODY knows what to expect
By Kieran Jackson For Mailonline
Published: 19:03, 22 February 2022
• F1 pre-season testing gets underway over three days in Barcelona this week
• It marks the first chance for the drivers to get to grips with their brand new cars
• New regulations should trigger improved wheel-to-wheel racing this season
• Lewis Hamilton is back on the track alongside his fellow competitors for the first time since the controversial end to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi
• With no fans, no live lap times and no live TV, there is a big sense of the unknown
‘The Unknown’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Barcelona.html
How to follow the Barcelona F1 test live
21 February 16:40
Author RacingNews365 Staff
Where can I watch the F1 test days live?
Unfortunately for fans, the first pre-season test in Barcelona is taking place behind closed doors, with no live television coverage.
However, you can stay up to date with all the goings-on in our aforementioned daily live blogs, which will feature the latest lap times, developments and updates from the paddock, along with detailed reports for the morning and afternoon sessions.
‘Live Blogs’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-to-fol...a-f1-test-live
FORMULA 1 - TESTING SCHEDULE
FORMULA 1 PRE-SEASON TRACK SESSION 2022
Get up to speed with everything you need to know about 2022's pre-season track session, which takes place at the 4.675-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - home of the Spanish Grand Prix - over three days on February 23-25, in preparation for this year’s official pre-season test in Bahrain on March 10-12.
‘Using the links you can find the full track schedule, plus the latest news headlines, circuit information and daily reports’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2...k-Session.html
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Hamilton checks out Red Bull RB18’s radical sidepods.
The RB18 features a striking undercut on the sidepods as well as a narrow inlet, a concept that is very different to anyone else’s.
Date published: February 23 2022 - Michelle Foster
Weeks after unveiling a show car instead of the real deal, Red Bull’s RB18 is in the public eye for the first time in pre-season testing.
Red Bull was one of the first teams to launch their 2022 championship but, instead of a genuine car, they gave us a show car.
The team said at the time that they did not want to let their rivals in on their secrets, keeping their cards – and their car – close to the chest.
‘Red Bull RB18 a concept that is very different to anyone else’s’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...rcut-sidepods/
Red Bull uncovers radical RB18 at Barcelona test
by Fergal Walsh
23/02/2022, 09:43
Red Bull’s 2022 Formula 1 car, the RB18, made its first appearance at the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona on Wednesday.
The energy drink-backed squad held a launch for the car earlier this month, however its livery was revealed on a show car produced by F1.
Red Bull conducted a shakedown of the car at Silverstone ahead of pre-season testing, but no imagery of the run was made public.
‘Radical RB18’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-in-barcelona/
Ted Kravitz expresses excitement at Red Bull's 'super impressive' new car
By George Dagless
Published: 23 Feb 2022, 10:37
Sky’s Ted Kravitz has been left hugely impressed with the design, saying the car as a whole looks like the best of what everyone else has done all combined:
‘That [Red Bull] car has all the bells and whistles on it that we’ve seen as ideas cropped up in individual form on every other car in the pit lane. It’s got the low nose, it’s got the little main flap of the front wing that’s detached from the nose, it’s got the little hole that Ferrari have, it’s got the sculpted side pods of the Mercedes, it’s got all the tricks that we’ve seen individually on each car, on one car,” Kravitz said to Sky.
‘RB18 Bells and Whistles’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87976178...essive-new-car
Max Verstappen offers first thoughts after taking new Red Bull for a spin during Formula 1 test
By George Dagless
Published: 23 Feb 2022, 11:55
After the run, he had this to say in terms of his early thoughts on the RB18.
“We got our first impression of the RB18 at our filming day last week and the car looks good. The rules are very different this year and so it is nice to get your first few laps in and get a feel for it.”
“I don’t have any aims for the season yet, I just want to rock up to the track and try and do the best I can, like I do every single year. If the car is quick, I am sure we can do a very good job again.”
‘Max Verstappen’s first thoughts’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87976236...formula-1-test
Leclerc leads Norris as F1 2022 pre-season testing begins
23/02/2022
By Matt Beer
Ferrari was fastest on a smooth opening morning of 2022 Formula 1 pre-season testing as the new rules era began at Barcelona.
Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ new recruit George Russell swapped the top spot through the morning, with the Ferrari on top with a 1m20.165s set on the mid-range C3 compound tyres when the field paused for the lunchbreak.
Lando Norris managed to split them with a late lap in the McLaren, just over three tenths of a second down on Leclerc and a similar margin in front of Russell.
‘Formula 1 pre-season testing as the new rules era began’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/lecle...esting-begins/
Leclerc tops first F1 test session of new era
Sam Hall
Wednesday 23 February 2022 12:10
Charles Leclerc has topped the order in the first F1 session of 2022 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The new era of F1 began in earnest at the Spanish Grand Prix venue and it was Ferrari that struck the first blow with a time of one minute 20.165secs.
F1 WEDNESDAY MORNING RESULTS
1 - Leclerc - Ferrari: 1:20.165 [80 laps] 2 - Norris - McLaren: 1:20.474 [50 laps] 3 - Russell - Mercedes: 1:20.784 [77 laps] 4 - Vettel - Aston Martin: 1:21.276 [52 laps] 5 - Tsunoda - AlphaTauri: 1:21.638 [43 laps] 6 - Verstappen - Red Bull: 1:22.246 [80 laps] 7 - Alonso - Alpine: 1:23.317 [54 laps] 8 - Latifi - Williams: 1:23.379 [66 laps] 9 - Mazepin - Haas: 1:24.505 [20 laps] 10 - Kubica - Alfa Romeo: 1:25.909 [9 laps] 11 - Schumacher - Haas: NO TIME SET
‘‘New era F1’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/76...on-of-new-era/
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Barcelona Test: Norris leads Ferrari, Mercedes on busy Day 1.
The McLaren driver was first on track in the morning and would post a 1m19.568s in the afternoon on the C4 Pirelli tyres, the second-softest in the range, putting him six-tenths clear of the field.
Ben Issatt
23 February 2022
Ferrari's new F1-75 has made a stir ever since it was launched, and the early signs are positive as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P2 and P3 on the C3 tyre, which was the most common compound used.
The Scuderia also racked up the most laps, managing 153 laps of the Spanish Grand Prix circuit between their drivers.
Mercedes sat as the third quickest team with fourth-placed George Russell's morning best of 1m20.784s a tenth quicker than teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ran after lunch.
‘Busy Day 1’;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...-on-busy-day-1
Reigning champion Verstappen encouraged by Red Bull reliability after mega stint on Day 1 in Spain
23 February 2022
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen donned the #1 on his brand new Red Bull RB18 as he clocked nearly 150 laps on the first day of pre-season running in Barcelona – and that reliability saw him leave the opening day with a smile.
Asked about the RB18, which took a completely different form than when the livery was revealed earlier in the month, he said: "Oh yes, it’s completely different, but I think it looks good – but at the end of the day, what’s the most important is that it’s fast, so that’s what we’re trying to see.”
"Everything was working quite well today so it’s a good start and yes, of course then I will look into what we can do tomorrow. Of course, Checo [Perez] is driving tomorrow, but it’s just about doing a lot of laps and just getting a bit of mileage on all the parts to see if everything is holding up."
‘Red Bull Reliability after Mega Stint’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...CEucUG8rJ.html
The first losers in F1 2022’s pre-season battle
The Race
23/02/2022, 18:37
Alfa Romeo’s new Formula 1 signing Valtteri Bottas admits his team had a “compromised” first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, while fellow Ferrari customer Haas didn’t fare much better.
Bottas took over from reserve driver Robert Kubica after the mid-day break, but the pair would combine for just 32 laps in the camouflage-liveried Alfa
It was the lowest tally recorded during the day and was only just over a fifth of what the day’s most prolific team in terms of mileage – its supplier Ferrari – managed.
‘Compromised First Day’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-f...season-battle/
Cooling Leak, Damaged Floor Affect Haas on Opening Day of Testing
By Paul Hensby
February 23, 2022
Pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya did not start the way the Uralkali Haas F1 Team were hoping for as they completed only forty-three laps across the eight hours of running on Wednesday.
A cooling leak during the morning session meant Nikita Mazepin could only manage twenty laps on board the VF-22, leaving him down in fifteenth place of the sixteen drivers to take to the track, but the Russian says it is important for them to get significant running in on Thursday to catch up.
Mick Schumacher took over the car in the afternoon, but repairs to a damaged floor left him able to complete only twenty-three laps, with Haas one of only two teams not to break through the one-hundred lap bracket alongside Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.
‘Haas Cooling Leak and Damaged Floor’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ay-of-testing/
Gary Anderson: The old ground effect obstacle facing F1 teams
23/02/2022, 15:03
By Gary Anderson
One of the main surprises of Formula 1’s 2022 pre-season test so far is the amount of porpoising the cars are suffering from.
It wasn’t visible in the simulations for the majority of teams, but most of them are struggling with it now their cars have hit the real-life circuit.
Porpoising isn’t a new problem, in fact, it was quite the challenge back in the old days of ground effect F1 cars, and now on the first day of pre-season testing here at Barcelona, it seems some teams are having similar problems.
‘Ground Effect Porpoising’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...cing-f1-teams/
F1 – Norris quickest on day one of pre-season testing as new era of F1 gets underway in Barcelona
FIA Press Release.
23.02.22, 18:37
Lando Norris went quickest on the opening day of testing in Barcelona as Formula 1’s new era got underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The McLaren driver ended the session more than half a second clear of the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Formula 1 Pre-Season Test Barcelona – Day One
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:19.568 103
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:20.165 +0.597s 80
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:20.416 +0.848s 73
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:20.784 +1.216s 77
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.929 +1.361s 50
6 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1:21.276 +1.708s 52
7 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:21.638 +2.070s 121
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:21.746 +2.178s 127
9 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:22.246 +2.678s 147
10 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:22.572 +3.004s 23
11 Alex Albon Williams 1:22.327 +3.192s 67
12 Mick Schumacher Haas 1:22.926 +3.358s 23
13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:23.327 +3.759s 67
14 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1:23.327 +3.759s 66
15 Nikita Mazepin Haas 1:24.505 +4.937s 20
16 Robert Kubica Alfa Romeo 1:25.909 +6.341s 9
‘FIA Review’;
https://www.fia.com/news/f1-norris-q...rway-barcelona
The ‘curiosity’ sparked by the dawn of F1’s fascinating new era
F1
Lewis Larkam
23 Feb 2022
The fascination surrounding the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing was typified by Lewis Hamilton stalking the pitlane as proceedings kicked off on Wednesday morning.
While his new Mercedes teammate George Russell was getting the first opportunity to drive the W13 at Barcelona, Hamilton spent time eyeing up the competition during a wander through the pitlane.
Hamilton spent time observing all the cars but was particularly interested in Red Bull’s radical new challenger as he paused outside reigning Max Verstappen’s garage.
‘F1 ‘curiousity’ for Hamilton’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/996...n-f1-s-new-era
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Five early pointers on F1’s radical new cars from the first day of testing.
While it’s far too early to draw conclusions about who’s quick and who isn’t, we’ve already gleaned the first details about F1’s bold new era.
2022 F1 season
Posted on
23rd February 2022, 22:3323rd February 2022, 23:27 | Written by Keith Collantine
The first day of testing is over, and five more remain, after which we may have learned a lot more about F1’s exciting new era.
Same problem, different solutions
Early performance predictions were way off
Slow is slower, quick is quicker
The jury is still out on overtaking
This is not a test
‘Five early pointers’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/23/...ay-of-testing/
Analysis: The 2022 cars are slower, but at the same time, quicker
by Ryan Wood
23 Feb 2022, 21:44
Unfortunately you can’t read too much into testing, especially not the timesheet – if you bet on that order you’re almost guaranteed to lose. The only indicator on the timesheet that provides some insight is the amount of laps a team completes during the day.
We can’t say at this moment in time which cars looked the most planted, we didn’t get the chance to witness them all, but we can safely say they remain very impressive machines.
Something else of note was the fact cars were seen following one another closely. Again it’s too early to say whether the new rules have had their intended effect, by allowing cars to follow closely without losing downforce, but the first signs appear bright as they were noticeably able to remain close through corners with little sliding.
‘Follow Closely, Little Sliding’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-time-quicker/
‘Surprisingly Straightforward’ Opening Testing Day for Mercedes in Spain – Shovlin
By Paul Hensby
February 23, 2022
Andrew Shovlin, the Trackside Engineering Director at Mercedes, admitted the day was ‘surprisingly straightforward’ as the W13 proved to be reliable, although the same could be said for many of the teams on the opening day of testing.
Shovlin says the limited testing available to teams – they have just six days in total before the season begins in earnest next month in Bahrain – so it is important to maximise the time they have on track and learn as much as they can as early as they can, particularly with the new aero regulations coming into effect this season.
‘‘Maximise the time’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...spain-shovlin/
“We’ve spent a long time preparing for this moment” – Fernando Alonso
By Nick Golding
February 23, 2022
Alonso was the sole driver for Alpine on the opening day of the official shakedown, the Spaniard got to grips with the A522 at his home circuit, completing a very impressive 129 laps. The Double World Champion also got the opportunity to be the first of the team’s drivers to test their new RE22 power unit. Alonso thoroughly enjoyed his first day back after the winter break and is incredibly proud of what Alpine have achieved.
“The feedback from Fernando was good” – Alpine’s Matt Harman
Alpine Technical Director, Matt Harman, like Alonso was very proud to see the A522 finally out on track, after two and a half long years of preparation ahead of this year’s dramatic technical regulation changes. Harmann was pleased with the overall reliability of the car on the opening day and is excited to see Esteban Ocon behind the wheel on Thursday.
‘Impressive 129 laps’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...rnando-alonso/
'Most important thing is the car is fast', says happy Max
Andrew Lewin23/02/2022 at 20:09
There were no complaints about his new company car from world champion Max Verstappen, who completed a whopping 147 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on the first day of pre-season testing in 2022.
Red Bull's head of race engineering Guillaume Rocquelin said that today's endurance run had met all their expectations. "Today went really well for the team. We gave ourselves the optimistic target of 700km and we finished around three laps short of that, which for the first day of testing is quite unusual.
‘A whopping 147 laps’;
https://f1i.com/news/432889-most-imp...happy-max.html
Winners and losers after the first day of F1's Barcelona test
23/02/2022, 21:10
Author Tom Leach
Who have been the big winners and losers from the first day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?
Winner: Red Bull and Verstappen
Winner: McLaren and Norris
Winner: F1's biggest teams
Loser: Haas and Schumacher
Loser: Alfa Romeo
https://racingnews365.com/winners-an...barcelona-test
Ted's Notebook: Testing Day 1
23 Feb 2022, 20:54
Ted Kravitz recaps all the stories from the opening day of Formula 1's first pre-season test from Barcelona.
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...-testing-day-1
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2022 pre-season testing day two in pictures
Pictures from the second day of testing for the 2022 F1 season at the Circuit de Catalunya.
24th February 2022, 9:3524th February 2022, 9:39 | Written by Keith Collantine
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/24/...o-in-pictures/
Lewis Hamilton takes to the track as an early pace-setter on day two of F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona... as defending champion Max Verstappen gets the day off from Red Bull with Sergio Perez flying solo
By Nathan Salt For Mailonline
Published: 08:42, 24 February 2022
• Day two of Formula One's pre-season testing is underway over in Barcelona
• Max Verstappen has the day off after punching in 147 laps on Wednesday
• Lewis Hamilton came out for a quick three laps as teams check aerodynamics
• Multiple drivers emerged with 'aero rakes' on their cars to monitor performance
‘Day two early pacer’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-testing.html
Mark Hughes: Verstappen’s Button-esque new driving style
Feb 24 2022
By Mark Hughes
Gone were the high-energy acrobatics through the slow corners and the generally aggressive body language of his high-rake Red Bull of old.
In the new super-low-rake car, he was driving like a more extreme version of Jenson Button!
Incredibly smooth, early on the brakes, but early on the power too, super-smooth steering inputs. It’s as if he had developed a special style – in the simulator? – predicated upon maximising the effectiveness of the powerful new underfloor venturi tunnels.
‘Verstappen Button-esque’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...driving-style/
F1 Testing: Who will go fastest on day two in Barcelona?
24th Feb 2022, 10:07
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...o-in-barcelona
Lando Norris aims to play down McLaren expectations after day 1 test success
By George Dagless
Published: 24 Feb 2022, 09:02
McLaren driver Lando Norris has sought to play down expectations after topping the timesheets on day one of Formula 1 testing on Wednesday in Barcelona. He’s urged caution over expectations, though, and rather amusingly suggested he’d rather have not come first as it only increases hopes at a stage of the year where nothing can really be knowingly predicted.
“I can be happy enough, but today is not about lap time.”
“I don’t care if I’m first or last. If anything it’s worse if you’re first as everyone thinks we’re amazingly fast, which I don’t really reckon we are. But no, I think a good day in terms of the laps and the program.”
‘McLaren Caution’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87976531...1-test-success
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First Red Flag of 2022 in F1, Perez Stopped on the Barcelona Track.
2022 F1 pre-season testing has begun in Barcelona. The track has seen McLaren doing well, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez stopping on the same circuit meant a red flag had to be waved – this year’s first.
24 Feb 2022, 14:11 UTC ·
by Florin Amariei
Honda previously said it might encounter some issues with the E10 fuel, but the cause of a sudden loss of power hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Formula 1 said in a press statement that both World Champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez would be able to get back on the track in Barcelona on Thursday afternoon, after Red Bull Racing has flown new parts in Spain.
‘Some issues with the E10 fuel’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/f...ck-182488.html
Second red flag interrupts F1 testing action
Thursday afternoon's test session in Barcelona has been interrupted by another red flag.
24 February 14:26
Author Thomas Maher
With 90 minutes gone in the afternoon, Nikita Mazepin brought out the red flags as he ground to a halt in the third sector of the lap.
The Russian driver had completed just nine laps of the circuit at the time of the stoppage. Haas have confirmed that Mazepin stopped as a result of a damaged fuel pump on his VF-22.
‘Damaged Fuel Pump’;
https://racingnews365.com/second-red...testing-action
Ricciardo fastest in F1 Barcelona testing
Ian ChadbandAAP
Thu, 24 February 2022 10:35PM
Daniel Ricciardo was all smiles after setting the early pace on the second morning of Formula One pre-season testing.
Just as his British teammate Lando Norris had led the timesheets after the opening day, Australian Ricciardo followed up by being quickest in the new McLaren through the first session on Thursday.
Ferrari also impressed, with Carlos Sainz second fastest behind Ricciardo's best of 1min 20.355sec.
‘Ricciardo fastest’;
https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...ting-c-5830538
Christian Horner delivers positive update on new Red Bull car's performance
By George Dagless
Published: 24 Feb 2022, 13:09
Of course, it’s early days and testing is only a vague barometer of performance for the rest of the season but Horner seems happy enough with what he has heard from his drivers in the embryonic stages of F1 2022:
”I think the team have done a wonderful job, obviously balancing the pressures of last year and developing the current car. We don’t know how quick it is, but the initial feedback is positive.”
“It looks different to our competitors but only time will tell if we’ve got it right. Max was happy with the balance this morning. It’s a get to know it process, before they get to work on performance.”
‘Red Bull early days’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87976605...rs-performance
VERSTAPPEN SET TO CONTINUE HIS PARTNERSHIP WITH RED BULL
Lena Ferle
24/02/2022, 14:07
According to De Telegraaf, this contract could not only be extended until 2025 or 2026 but even into the new engine era.
Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, is understood to have flown to Graz to negotiate the contract with Helmut Marko before the tests in Barcelona.
Marko himself announced last month that Verstappen’s earnings are already at the limit of what Red Bull can pay.
‘Max Verstappen contract’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ve...with-red-bull/
Hamilton comments on Ferrari at test
February 24, 2022 · by thejudge13
Reported by L’Equipe in France, Lewis Hamilton spoke about the performance of the Scuderia at the moment.
“We have no idea where everyone stands. It’s exciting.
“For the Scuderia, they said last year that they were going to focus on this season. So we’ll see if they’re seven months ahead of the competition or not,” said the Mercedes driver.
‘Seven months ahead?’;
https://thejudge13.com/2022/02/24/ha...rrari-at-test/
Teams underestimated F1 2022’s ‘porpoising’ problem – Ferrari
Feb 24 2022
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto believes the porpoising issue encountered by many of the teams with their new ground-effect 2022 cars has been widely “underestimated” and won’t be an easy fix.
Asked about the issue during a Thursday team bosses’ press conference, Binotto acknowledged: “I think that most of us at least underestimated the problem by where we are on track we are bouncing more than expected.
“We knew certainly that the ground [effect] situation would be different. It’s a learning process.
‘Poirpoising learning process’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/teams...oblem-ferrari/
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Ferrari "nowhere near the limit" despite table-topping pace.
Carlos Sainz has warned Ferrari is "nowhere near the limit" despite team-mate Charles Leclerc topping the order on day two of F1 pre-season testing in Spain.
Sam Hall & Ian Parkes
Thursday 24 February 2022 17:45 - Updated: 17:49
Despite the promising early signs for the Scuderia, Sainz refused to get carried away and issued a caution to the team's rivals.
“It was a good start in terms of reliability," said the Spaniard. "We managed to complete testing so far without a single issue which is an encouraging start for us. This is what we are here for in Barcelona.
Going one step further, Sainz refused to even categorise the opening two days as "a "good start", instead declaring it "normal because we didn’t have any single problem so far and I managed to do a whole run plan".
‘Table-topping Scuderia’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/76...-topping-pace/
Mercedes ‘definitely behind’ two rival F1 teams at the moment
The Race
24 Feb 2022, 18:10
New Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell believes his team is “definitely behind” rivals Ferrari and McLaren after two days of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
“We’re seeing some interesting things out there,” Russell said. “That’s what testing is for. Some teams are looking pretty fast, a red team [Ferrari] and an orange team [McLaren] in particular look very, very competitive.”
“Let’s see what tomorrow brings and what we can do between this test and Bahrain.”
‘A red team and an orange team look very, very competitive’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/merce...at-the-moment/
F1 2022 car porpoising a ‘safety concern’ at its worst
24/02/2022, 18:31
By Scott Mitchell
Grand Prix Drivers Association director George Russell says some of the car porpoising seen in Formula 1 testing would be a “safety concern” if it goes unaddressed.
Mercedes driver Russell said this is one of the factors contributing to a “really intriguing” pre-season test, where this phenomenon has surprised teams as they could not simulate it in advance.
“We didn’t experience it too much for one reason or another,” said Russell. “It’s not very pleasant at all and from what I’ve seen from other teams in particular it would be a safety concern.”
‘Porpoising a ‘safety concern’ at its worst’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-20...-at-its-worst/
Gallery: Day 2 of Formula 1 testing at Barcelona
by Ryan Wood
24/02/2022, 17:45
We’re officially two-thirds of the way through the first Formula 1 pre-season test, with just one day remaining. Charles Leclerc was fastest on day two, despite a small excursion through the gravel. Check out the best images from the day.
‘Formula 1 Gallery’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-at-barcelona/
Formula 1: All 10 teammate battles ranked from #10 to #1
by Ian Higgins
24/02/2022, 17:45
With some expectations already set from the 2021 Formula 1 season, which intra-team battles could boil over and become the headline of 2022?
Last season, teammate rivalries with genuine friction were hard to come across in the competitive portion of the grid, with only Ferrari’s combination of “golden child” Charles Leclerc and quick-adapter Carlos Sainz consistently finding themselves on the same pieces of track come Sunday.
With that being said, which teams on the 2022 Formula 1 grid should expect collaboration from their drivers and who should prepare for mutually assured destruction between unforgiving competitors?
‘Collaboration or Mutual Destruction?’;
https://beyondtheflag.com/2022/02/24...-battles-2022/
Meanwhile in Barcelona
Posted on February 24, 2022 by Joe Saward
The big news in Barcelona came this evening when Haas announced that it will run a white car tomorrow, without Uralkali branding and without the livery as previously seen. This is quite significant in the circumstances.
The key point is that Ferrari has now completed 303 laps, which is considerably more than everyone else. AlphaTauri has done 268, Alpine 252, Aston Martin 248, Williams 240, Mercedes 233, McLaren 229 and Red Bull 225, while Haas (151) and Alfa Romeo (124) are still lagging behind.
‘White car branding’;
https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2022...-in-barcelona/
We underestimated the porpoising problem, says Binotto
NEWS STORY
24/02/2022
While it was mainly Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes that was affected by the phenomenon on Wednesday, a number of teams were also compromised by the process by which the car bounces on its suspension as it momentarily loses downforce then gains it again as the flow of air going underneath the car stalls at a certain speed, and as a result have made changes to their floors overnight.
Nonetheless, Mattia Binotto admits the teams should have been prepared for the possibility and have underestimated the threat. "I think most of us at least underestimated the problem, in terms of being on track and bouncing more than expected," he said.
"When you're setting these cars up with the ground effect floor, the situation it's different. It's a learning process," he added.
‘Mercedes Porpoising Compromise’;
https://www.pitpass.com/71867/We-und...m-says-Binotto
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‘Orange and red cars’ take early lead in 2022.
Mercedes and Red Bull do not appear to be the early pacesetters as the Formula 1 teams begin testing their all-new cars for the radically different 2022 era.
ANDREW MAITLAND
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
When told that McLaren looks like an early title favourite, team boss Andreas Seidl pointed to the Ferrari motorhome: “I see them a bit ahead at the moment.”
In fact, Carlos Sainz was so comfortable with his Ferrari that he admits to “deliberately” driving behind his countryman Fernando Alonso to see if following another car is easier in 2022.
When asked if Red Bull is concerned it hasn’t produced an instant race winner for the new era, Christian Horner answered: “It’s still early in development.
‘Orange and red cars’;
https://grandpx.news/orange-and-red-...-lead-in-2022/
Who was ‘tidy’ and who looked ‘strange’? Gary Anderson trackside
25/02/2022, 06:22
By Gary Anderson
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to see Formula 1 cars built to all kinds of regulations, including the first generation of ground effect cars in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Having focused on the cars from a technical perspective on the first day of testing, I was able to watch these new cars from trackside for the first time both in the morning and afternoon sessions.
One of the things I was looking out for today was the porpoising that has become a big talking point. This is when the rear of underfloor gets too low to the ground at high speed and effectively stalls, leading to the rear end rising as the aero load disappears and creating a kind of oscillation in the car.
The AlphaTauri is one that stands out as just looking tidy.
Of the usual frontrunners, the Mercedes did look a bit strange. Watching through Turns 7-8, the left-right at the bottom of the hill up to Campsa, the car seemed to wander and be a little imprecise at the front end.
‘Gary Anderson’s main impressions’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/who-w...son-trackside/
Charles Leclerc: “Our aim is to drive as many kilometres as we can”
By Paul Hensby
February 24, 2022
After ending day one second fastest on Wednesday, Charles Leclerc went to the top of the timing screens on Thursday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and the Monegasque racer was delighted to get significant mileage on his F1-75.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver set a best lap of 1:19.689 in the afternoon session and completed seventy-nine laps of the Spanish track, although he acknowledges ending fastest means very little at this stage of testing. He did suffer a small spin but was able to keep the car going and did not lose any track time.
Team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. started the day in the car and was equally pleased with his day, with the Spaniard ending fifth fastest overall.
However, Sainz was happier to get another seventy-one laps in the books and work through their programme more than the lap times, and he continues to grow in confidence behind the wheel of the F1-75.
‘Growing confidence behind the wheel of the F1-75’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...res-as-we-can/
Red Bull: Checo’s feedback pretty much the same as Max’s
Jad Mallak
24 February, 2022
Red Bull’s second day of Formula 1 testing at Barcelona was not as smooth as their first, but at least their drivers’ feedback on the RB18 is identical.
Sergio Perez got the chance to driver the team’s new RB18 on Thursday, but could not match Max Verstappen‘s tally of 147 laps achieved on the previous day, as the Mexican suffered from gearbox issues that curtailed his running to only 78 laps with a best time of 1:21.430 putting him seventh on the time screens.
Red Bull however, do not seem worried about their gearbox niggle, but were happy with Perez’s settling-in with the new car. Guillaume Rocquelin, Head of Race Engineering said of the day: “Checo got up to speed pretty quickly this morning and his feedback is pretty much the same as Max’s, which means we know where we are going and everything is fairly settled.
‘Red Bull know where they are going’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...-same-as-maxs/
Williams Racing Barcelona Test Day Two 2402022
By Andrew Hooper
February 25 2022
The Williams Racing Team would complete their second day of pre-season testing at the Barcelona circuit on a day that saw the team start to push the car more as they continued to explore areas of improvement in the car. There would be some minor issues but despite this both Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi were still able to work through extensive test programs.
As yesterday, both race drivers shared the workload today and both were able to learn from the other. Tomorrow is the final opportunity to exercise the car before we go to Bahrain for the back to back test and race, it should also present us with the first chance to look at the new 2022 wet tyres as Pirelli are planning wet the track tomorrow afternoon.
Cla Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Charles Leclerc 78 1'19.689
2 Pierre Gasly 147 1'19.918 0.229
3 Daniel Ricciardo 126 1'20.288 0.599
4 George Russell 65 1'20.537 0.848
5 Carlos Sainz Jr 71 1'20.546 0.857
6 Sebastian Vettel 73 1'20.784 1.095
7 Sergio Perez 78 1'21.430 1.741
8 Nikita Mazepin 41 1'21.512 1.823
9 Alex Albon 47 1'21.531 1.842
10 Guanyu Zhou 71 1'21.885 2.196
11 Nicholas Latifi 61 1'21.894 2.205
12 Lance Stroll 55 1'21.920 2.231
13 Mick Schumacher 66 1'21.949 2.260
14 Esteban Ocon
125 1'22.164 2.475
15 Valtteri Bottas 21 1'22.288 2.599
16 Lewis Hamilton 40 1'22.562 2.873
‘Williams F1 learning’;
https://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s107/st202931.htm
Russell: Mercedes behind Ferrari and McLaren
Jad Mallak
25 February, 2022
A bold statement from the 24-year-old Briton, after only the second day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where Mercedes faced some data logging issues that curtailed Lewis Hamilton’s morning running, as the team struggled with balance, with the seven-time World Champion only dead last in the timing screens (1:22.562), with only 40 laps on the board.
The team’s Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin added: “We had a difficult morning with Lewis, experiencing a data logging issue that delayed our start and in general, we were struggling a bit more with the balance.
“[Mercedes are] certainly not ahead, pretty sure of that,” Russell went on. “We all know that we are on different programmes but we definitely know from the average of all the different runs, we’re behind them at the moment. So let’s wait and see. “The championship’s not won in Barcelona pre-season testing, but it’s certainly been an intriguing two days for now,” Russell insisted.
‘Mercedes Behind’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...i-and-mclaren/
Ferrari offer their take on F1's 2022 pecking order
24 Feb 2022, 21:30
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Dieter Rencken
Team Principal Mattia Binotto says it is far too early to brand Ferrari's new F1-75 as one of 2022's fastest cars, despite topping the timing tower on day two of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
"I think it is very, very early days," he said, speaking to selected members on the media that included RacingNews365.com. "[All of the teams] are very close, which was one of the objectives of the new regulations. I think it is impressive to see that we are all so close from the start, and we are all looking very different. There are so many different designs and shapes, which is great for F1.
While Binotto may be keen to play down the hype being generated by his car's pace, he could not hold back his delight as their growing lap count. Ferrari ended Wednesday with more laps on the board (153) than any other team and repeated the trick on Thursday (150).
‘Could not hold back their delight at their growing lap count’;
https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-of...-pecking-order
“A Good day from many Angles” – Ricciardo Reflects on First Day in MCL36
By Paul Hensby
February 24, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo had his first taste of the MCL36 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday, with the Australian leading the way in the morning session before dropping to third overall in the afternoon. The McLaren F1 Team driver was delighted with the reliability of the new car and praised the team for the hard work in preparing it in short order, so it was ready for testing.
“A good day from many angles,” admitted Ricciardo. “I think reliability was great. That’s on the team and everyone who’s worked hard to put this car together, so massive thank you to them.”
“They’re pretty awesome to build a whole new car, put it on track and have it run so smoothly, so big thanks to them again. Both days have been over 100 laps, which for me and Lando gives us more opportunity to learn the car and push ourselves, so really pleased with that.”
‘Good day for McLaren from many Angles’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-day-in-mcl36/
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Fernando Alonso's car goes UP IN SMOKE on final day of testing in Barcelona as his Alpine team said the former world champion asked to stop the car due to 'loss of pressure'.
Fernando Alonso was forced out of his car on the final day of Formula One pre-season testing in Barcelona after the vehicle went up in smoke.
By Richard Martin For Mailonline
Published: 11:44, 25 February 2022
• Fernando Alonso's car suffered a mechanical on the final day of testing on Friday
• The Spaniard's Alpine vehicle went up in smoke during a lap in Barcelona
• Before the incident, Alonso had recorded a faster lap than Max Verstappen
‘UP IN SMOKE’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Barcelona.html
Verstappen on top as Red Bull make up for lost time
Max Verstappen and Red Bull set the early pace during the final morning of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
25th Feb 20222, 10:05
Red Bull moved to the top of the times as F1 testing continued at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday morning, with Max Verstappen at the wheel.
Verstappen made several improvements over the course of the opening two hours, working his way down to a best time of 1:19.765 – set on the Medium (C3) compound tyre.
‘Max Verstappen improvements’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...-for-lost-time
F1 Barcelona day 3 morning round-up: Russell puts Mercedes on top
Mercedes topped the times during testing for the first time in 2022 thanks to George Russell
February 25th 2022
Author James Elson
George Russell set the fastest time during a disrupted session which saw four red flags. His time of 1min 19.233sec is the fastest so far of the test, but he did it in amongst a bevy of stoppages.
Several cars got out for the early running, with Max Verstappen putting in the second fastest lap of 1min 19.756sec. He also set the most laps at 69.
In third was Sebastian Vettel. The German had shown reasonable (relative) pace, but his run then came to a halt when his car stopped towards the end of this morning’s session – the Aston Martin was 0.15sec off Verstappen.
‘Russell, Verstappen, Vettel, 1, 2, 3’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...rcedes-on-top#
Ferrari 'outsiders' for F1 world championship, says Mattia Binotto
By George Dagless
Published: 25 Feb 2022, 12:58
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has said that the Scuderia are ‘outsiders’ for the Formula 1 world championship this season despite their strong early showings in testing in Barcelona this week.
Binotto has said that Ferrari remain underdogs heading into the new season, and it’s clear he is not getting carried away: “If you look at the amount, it’s a couple of sessions on the entire year, it’s maybe a tenth per lap, if you are very good,” he said via Autosport.
“If I look at Mercedes and Red Bull, how strong they were last year, no doubt that as teams they are very, very strong. And I think the regulations are in place to help the ones that are less efficient.”
‘Ferrari ‘Outsider’!’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87977131...mattia-binotto
Carlos Sainz says Ferrari has yet to show max performance despite impressive winter testing
By George Dagless
Published: 25 Feb 2022, 10:52
Carlos Sainz has said that the Ferrari is nowhere near the limit of its performance at Barcelona testing in a potential warning to the rest of the field over the Scuderia’s levels for the coming Formula 1 campaign.
“It was a good start in terms of reliability,” said Sainz. “We managed to complete testing so far without a single issue which is an encouraging start for us. This is what we are here for in Barcelona.”
“For you guys [the media,] unfortunately, it is not very exciting because we are nowhere near to the limit of the car or finding where the performance is but we are doing laps and we are completing them nicely.
‘Scuderia nowhere near performance limit’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87977054...winter-testing
Ricciardo thinks Red Bull and Mercedes are keeping their pace secret.
McLaren and Ferrari are hogging the headlines thanks to their impressive pace and reliability in Barcelona, but Daniel Ricciardo has warned that Red Bull and Mercedes are not showing their cards just yet.
25/02/2022, 09:40
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Dieter Rencken
"It's hard to quantify who's ahead of the moment, for sure," he said. "On the one hand, all you want is laps and we've had both days over 100 laps. I think we're in a good place from that point of view.”
"We seem to be at the pointy end of the times, but yeah, I don't think Mercedes and Red Bull have really done anything, showing any cards yet, so I don't really look [into it] too much.”
"Ferrari, I think they look solid, they look consistently good. But yeah, I'm not trying to read too much into it yet."
‘Secret Pace’;
https://racingnews365.com/ricciardo-...ng-pace-secret
F1's porpoising problem makes testing an even tougher read - MPH
Formula 1's big aero problem has rendered testing almost impossible to read into says Mark Hughes
February 25th 2022
Author Mark Hughes
The recurrence of one of the occupational hazards of ground effect cars from four decades ago somewhat blindsided the teams despite their state of the art simulation tools. The sudden increase and subsequent choking-off of underbody downforce as it approaches the ground isn’t something that can be replicated in a wind tunnel.
You’d already be damaging the tunnels’ belts before getting it to the point where the airflow stalls. Even in CFD the complexity of the equation of a moving body over the ground and the volatility of the stall pattern is beyond the capability of current programmes. And there’s no-one around in the aero departments who are familiar with the phenomenon from forty-odd years ago.
‘Occupational hazards of ground effect cars has blindsided the teams’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...gher-read-mph#
Pirelli to conduct wet-weather test in the final session of Barcelona running
25 February 2022
The final day of pre-season running in Barcelona will see the drivers test Pirelli's 2022 wet and intermediate tyres on an artificially soaked track.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted the first pre-season sessions of 2022, but the third and final day will see F1's official tyre suppliers, Pirelli, test their 18-inch wet compounds.
‘Wet-Weather Testing’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...nwtNvwVG9.html
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Alpine end F1 testing early as they reveal cause for Fernando Alonso stoppage.
Alpine have decided to curtail their test running early with Fernando Alonso suffering a stoppage this morning in Barcelona on the final day of the first Formula 1 test.
By George Dagless
Published: 25 Feb 2022, 12:51
“After further investigations in the garage following Fernando Alonso’s on-track stoppage earlier this morning, the team can confirm the issue was a problem with the hydraulics. A minor sealing issue led to a fire in the back of the car.”
“The team has successfully completed 266 laps during the three days of the Barcelona shakedown. Repairs on the car will continue, and as a result we won’t be running for the remainder of the day. We look forward to be back in action at the next test in Bahrain.”
‘Early testing Alpine F1ending’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87977154...lonso-stoppage
Alpine heads home early following hydraulics issue
Phillip van Osten25/02/2022 at 13:21
The Alpine team has announced that it will take no further part in pre-season testing following damage sustained by its car on Friday morning.
Fernando Alonso was just 12 laps into his final day of running when he was forced to stop his car on-track with a smoking rear end.
‘Home Early’;
https://f1i.com/news/433181-alpine-h...ics-issue.html
F1 handed overtaking warning after new cars fail "perfect demonstration"
Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale
Friday 25 February 2022 14:35
Asked if the regulations have shown signs of working during his running, Mercedes driver Russell said: "I think the following has been improved but the slipstream effect has been reduced quite substantially so I don't really know.”
"You obviously need that delta in the straights to overtake because you can only overtake at the end of a straight and into a corner. We can follow closer but from what we have seen, the slipstream effect is definitely less effective. We will have to wait and see.”
McLaren driver Norris added: "Me and George had a perfect demonstration of it. I didn't want to let him past while he was on a quick lap so I screwed him over and held him up a bit. That is what you do in testing. “
‘Improved following, slipstream effect reduced’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/76...demonstration/
Ricciardo "sore" as F1 return delivers "a shock to the body"
Sam Hall
Thursday 24 February 2022 20:14
Daniel Ricciardo is confident "there are good early signs" for McLaren despite feeling sore after a full day in the MCL36.
“I’m a little bit sore but it was okay," said Ricciardo. "Just to get in the car again and to go through the motions again and get your body into it and all of those feelings.”
"It’s only been two months. The off-season was a bit shorter because of such a late end to last season so it didn’t feel too foreign but there is always still a bit of a shock to the body.”
‘Shock to the body’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/76...k-to-the-body/
F1 drivers hit the track in the wet, Haas end their test early
Friday afternoon's session in Barcelona started in wet conditions after the track was soaked by water trucks, giving tyre supplier Pirelli some much-needed data.
25th Feb 2022, 15:05
Author Mike Seymour
Co-author Aaron Deckers
F1 drivers got their first proper taste of wet running in 2022 as this week's pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya entered its closing stages. Water trucks artificially dampened the track during the one-hour lunch break to give drivers some experience on the Wet and Intermediate tyres, in turn providing Pirelli with some useful data for the upcoming season.
F1 drivers got their first proper taste of wet running in 2022 as this week's pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya entered its closing stages.
Water trucks artificially dampened the track during the one-hour lunch break to give drivers some experience on the Wet and Intermediate tyres, in turn providing Pirelli with some useful data for the upcoming season.
‘Wet track testing’;
https://racingnews365.com/formula-1-...niel-ricciardo
Driver feedback positive after first days in new F1 cars
Associated Press
25 February, 2022
In a positive sign Formula 1 may have it right with the 2022 regulation changes to improve racing, drivers were mainly upbeat with their insights and reviews of the new generation cars, after the first couple of days of preseason testing.
One of the quirks of the new F1 cars, with floors designed to increase downforce made the cars bouncier on straightaways.
“They bounce around a bit, and they are a little bit stiff, so it is a bit more vicious inside of it,” Williams driver Alex Albon said. “You are moving around, you are feeling everything. But at the end of the day, they’re quick and everyone’s done a great job.”
‘Feedback positive’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...2-new-f1-cars/
Russell concerned over ‘substantially’ reduced slipstream with 2022 F1 cars
by Fergal Walsh
25/02/2022, 15:26
“I think the following has been improved but the slipstream effect has been reduced quite substantially,” Russell said.
“We can follow closer but from what we have seen, the slipstream effect is definitely less effective. We will have to wait and see.
“I got right up behind Lando, I was a car-length or two behind him and didn’t catch the straight, so that was slightly concerning so let’s see.”
‘Reduction of slip stream’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-2022-f1-cars/
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Lewis Hamilton and rival F1 drivers 'may have to wear teeth guards' due to car problems.
Sky F1 reporter Ted Kravitz has insisted that Lewis Hamilton and his fellow F1 drivers may have to wear ‘teeth guards' due to issues with the new cars.
By LIAM LLEWELLYN
20:09, Fri, Feb 25, 2022
Sky F1 reporter Kravtiz explained: "I prefer to call it bouncing because it's just bouncing along. It's a problem.
"If it continues, the cars will literally shake themselves to pieces and won't be able to finish the race.
"It is a reliability issue. It needs to be fixed. Ferrari already cut holes in their floor to stop them going along bouncing.”
‘Teeth Guards’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...guards-F1-news
Teething troubles, wet weather runs and fun 2022 cars – What we learned from Day 3 of pre-season running at Barcelona
Senior writer
Lawrence Barretto
25 February 2022
As sunset approached at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday, Lewis Hamilton bolted to the top of the timesheets to make it a Mercedes one-two on the third and final day of pre-season running. It’s wise not to read too much into that level of performance – but there was still plenty we did learn…
Mileage not as strong on final day
Niggles start to creep in for some
2022-spec F1 cars are fun to drive
‘Mileage, Niggles and Fun’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...0x5zGVpx9.html
Ted's Notebook: Testing day three
25 Feb 2022, 20:42
Sky F1's Ted Kravitz looks back on the final day of Formula 1's first pre-season test from Barcelona.
‘Ted’;
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...ting-day-three
All you need to know after the third day of F1 testing
Looking back over the third and final day of F1 testing in Barcelona are Dieter Rencken and Thomas Maher, in this special series of podcasts reviewing every day of the action.
26/02/2022, 20:10
Author Thomas Maher
Looking back over the third and final day of F1 testing are RacingNews365.com Editorial Director Dieter Rencken and F1 journalist Thomas Maher, in this special series of podcasts reviewing every day of the action in Barcelona.
‘RacingNews365 Podcast’;
https://racingnews365.com/all-you-ne...-of-f1-testing
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell on top, Max Verstappen pays 'no attention' to times in testing
Hamilton, controversially edged out for the 2021 title by Verstappen in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, clocked a best time of 1min 19.138 seconds.
Agence France-Presse February 26, 2022 09:26:43 IST
Friday times:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:19.138 (94 laps),
2. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 1:19.233 (66),
3. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) 1:19.556 (74),
4. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1:19.756 (59),
5. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin) 1:19.824 (48),
6. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:19.831 (44),
7. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 1:20.072 (92),
8. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams) 1:20.318 (94),
9. Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams) 1:20.699 (13),
10. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren) 1:20.750 (86),
11. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) 1:20.827 (52),
12. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine) 1:21.242 (12),
13. Guanyu Zhou (CHN/Alfa Romeo) 1:21.939 (41),
14. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri) 1:22.469 (40),
15. Nikita Mazepin (RAF/Haas) 1:26.229 (9),
16. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 1:30.433 (10)
‘Testing times’;
https://www.firstpost.com/sports/lew...-10409841.html
Podcast: The stories behind the laptimes in F1 testing
The Race
26th Feb 2022, 00:10
With Mercedes and Red Bull occupying the top positions on the timesheets, is it going to be more of the same in 2022, or have McLaren or Ferrari take a step forward?
Aston Martin and Alpine were in the middle of the times, but how costly was Pierre Gasly’s final-day accident and what can be read into Sebastian Vettel’s last-day pace?
With Williams having a low profile test, it was left to Alpine, Haas and Alfa Romeo to sit at the bottom of the timesheets. We explain what went wrong and what, unseen, went right for those teams.
‘Lap Times Stories’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/podca...in-f1-testing/
What we learned from F1’s first 2022 pre-season test
The Race
Friday, 25 Feb 2022, 22:29
It’s been clear for a while that the new cars were not going to be as slow as was first suggested when the regulations were proposed way back in late 2019.
Slower times were never a stated target, rather a likely consequence of rules designed to cut downforce and reduce areas of development.
The closer we got to testing the greater the indication that actually, pretty soon these new cars wouldn’t be any slower at all.
Well now we have our first reference points. These cars produce laptime in a slightly different way as they are quicker down the straights and through the high-speed corners but worse in the slow-speed stuff.
‘The learning process’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/what-...e-season-test/
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Alonso believes Ferrari has the fastest car.
Ferrari completed the most laps of any team with 439 over the three days, while their fastest lap time, courtesy of Charles Leclerc, was just over half-a-second shy of Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark, yet it was set on the C3 tyres, while Hamilton went all the way to the highest-grip C5 rubber.
Date published: February 27 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse
“Ferrari seems to be the fastest car, which is surely a surprise,” Marca quote Alonso as having told TVE. “For Carlos [Sainz] it’s great news and for Spain in general.”
Of course he is not discounting Mercedes though, who did set the ultimate pace in Barcelona, Hamilton topping the three-day timings with a 1:19.138, just under a tenth up on new team-mate George Russell. “Mercedes has also turned [out] fast,” Alonso stated.
‘Ferrari 439 laps’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...rrari-fastest/
Ferrari Looking Promising After Strong Barcelona Test Closes
By Nick Golding
February 26, 2022
Scuderia Ferrari brought an end to their testing programme at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having racked up more laps than any other team, filling the Italian’s with plenty of confidence ahead of the Official Pre-Season Test.
Sainz completed an impressive 92 laps, taking his three day total to 236. Combined, the Ferrari drivers completed 439 laps, the most racked up by any team in the paddock across the three days. Ferrari have clearly designed not only a reliable car but a fast one too, the F1-75 was consistently towards the front of the timing sheets, even though the order is somewhat irrelevant at testing.
‘Scuderia Ferrari Looks Promising’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...a-test-closes/
Kravitz: Ferrari showed enough to have Mercedes ‘worried’
Date published: February 26 2022 - Henry Valantine
Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz feels the three-day shakedown in Barcelona showed Ferrari have enough pace to have “worried” reigning Constructors’ champions Mercedes.
The Scuderia showed consistent pace throughout all three days of running in Spain and completed more laps than any other team, proving early on they have produced a reliable car in the F1-75.
It’s famously tricky to predict how the teams shape up after test running due to the ‘sandbagging’ measures that try to prevent them showing their full hand in terms of pace, but Kravitz believes Ferrari are in a strong position right now – with Red Bull being the only slight unknown as it stands. “They’ve shown enough in the first two days to have Mercedes worried; the only question is what have Red Bull got, and we learned a bit of that today.”
‘Mercedes worried about the Ferrari F1-75, Red Bull unknown’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ted-kr...ona-best-team/
Haas’ Guenther Steiner: “We had three days of testing but really we only managed one”
By Paul Hensby
February 26, 2022
Guenther Steiner feels the Haas F1 Team are behind the eight ball at this stage of pre-season testing after managing only nine laps on the third and final day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday.
Steiner, the Team Principal at Haas, says the team will hope to have put all their gremlins behind them when testing resumes at the Bahrain International Circuit next month, the final test before the season gets underway at the same track.
‘Three days to do ONE day of testing’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...y-managed-one/
McLaren’s Andreas Seidl: “The hard work from the entire team has been crucial”
By Paul Hensby
February 26, 2022
Andreas Seidl says the McLaren F1 Team can leave the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with plenty of data to go through after three positive days of pre-season testing
Seidl, the Team Principal at the Woking-based squad, said a lot of hard work the team went into preparing the MCL36 ahead of the new season, and getting as much mileage on the car as they did was a reward for all of them.
“It’s been a productive first three days for us in Barcelona, and we leave Spain with plenty of data to analyse before we head to Bahrain for the official pre-season test and Grand Prix,” said Seidl.
‘Plenty of McLaren data’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-been-crucial/
Vettel: Aston Martin not seeing the peak of the mountain
Date published: February 26 2022 - Michelle Foster
Losing half a day of testing to an oil leak, Sebastian Vettel says at the moment Aston Martin are not “seeing the peak” of the mountain they need to climb.
It started out well for Aston Martin, 119 laps on day one and 129 on day two, with Vettel P6 on both days. However, day three, Friday’s running, didn’t go according to plan. Vettel stopped out on track on his 48th lap of the morning due to an oil leak that caused a small fire.
‘Aston Martin Mountain’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebast...mountain-peak/
Binotto claims 'porpoising' no longer a problem for Ferrari
Andrew Lewin 27/02/2022 at 08:42
Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto says that his team has already got on top of the 'porpoising' problems that many teams ran into during this week's pre-season shakedown tests at Barcelona.
“On the bouncing, I think it was an issue but it's not any more," he told the media at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday. "Somehow we are managing the situation.”
“If we're looking at this on Thursday afternoon and earlier on Friday, I think we are bouncing a lot less."
‘No ‘porpoising’ at Ferrari’;
https://f1i.com/news/433340-binotto-...r-ferrari.html
Pirelli’s Mario Isola: “We can be pleased with how the three days of testing went”
By Paul Hensby
February 26, 2022
Mario Isola says Pirelli Motorsport can be pleased with how the first real test with their eighteen-inch tyres on 2022 machinery went at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week, with plenty of laps being run by all ten teams.
“We can be pleased with how the three days of testing went, which of course represented the debut of our 18-inch tyres on these new single-seaters, with all the tyre testing up to now having been carried out using only mule cars,” said Isola.
‘Pirelli’s 18-inch tyre debut positive’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-testing-went/
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Alfa Romeo finally reveal their 2022 F1 car, the C42.
Alfa Romeo became the last Formula 1 team to reveal their 2022 car, the C42, which was revealed on Sunday, two days after the conclusion of the first pre-season testing in Barcelona.
Editor
27 February, 2022
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN: “The start of the season is always an exciting time, one in which we see the fruit of the work of hundreds of people over a long period of time.
“The C42 is a car we look forward to seeing racing, not just because it is the first we built in this new regulations cycle, one in which racing should be closer and more thrilling, but because we have the utmost confidence in this car helping the team make a big step forward towards the front of the grid.”
Jan Monchaux, Technical Director of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN: “As we unveil the C42, it may feel like the start of a new season: we know, however, that this launch is just a milestone in a much longer journey in which our whole staff in Hinwil has invested so much time, resource and energies.
‘Alfa Romeo Car Launch’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...1-car-the-c42/
Alfa Romeo has fix for problems that shocked it in F1 test
27/02/2022, 10:37
By Edd Straw
Alfa Romeo Formula 1 technical director Jan Monchaux expects that running at a higher ride height and floor modifications will be the long-term solution to the problem of porpoising that left the team “taken aback” during the early running of the C42.
“To be fully transparent and honest, we didn’t anticipate that,” said Monchaux when asked by The Race if the problem was expected and what the definitive fix will involve.”
“We had discussed during the last months about those kind of phenomena that could happen but none of our tools – windtunnel and other simulation tools – were giving a hint of it. We were a bit taken aback, which has been the case for probably all of the teams or most of the teams.”
‘Alfa Romeo has the fix’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alfa-...it-in-f1-test/
ANALYSIS: Why Alfa Romeo have gone bold with innovative C42 design
Technical contributors
Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola
27 February 2022
Although Alfa Romeo’s C42 already completed F1 pre-season running over three days at Barcelona last week, it did so in camouflage livery which at its official launch today was replaced by an updated variation on Alfa’s traditional red and white colours.
notable design features include:
• A quite sophisticated front wing
• A push-rod rear suspension (like Red Bull, AlphaTauri and McLaren) and an unusual geometry of its front push-rod layout
• Similar packaging of the Ferrari cooling system, as seen on the Ferrari itself (and the Haas), giving sidepods which are fat but heavily undercut at the front, with heavily louvred sidepod tops
‘Alfa Romeo notable design features’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...e3vQyJoOg.html
Alfa Romeo reveal 2022 F1 challenger: the C42 is born
FEBRUARY 27, 2022 in Motorsport
The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 is the first car produced in Hinwil under the budget cap regulations and for the new era of Formula One starting in 2022. Designed by a team led by Technical Director, Jan Monchaux, this car is a radical departure from the past as it embraces the possibilities dictated by the new ground-effect floor, updated aerodynamic package and 18-inch, low profile tyres. The C42, powered by a new Ferrari engine, is a racing machine designed to battle, as the new regulations will allow closer racing and competitive fighting from the front to the rear of the grid.
In the hands of 10-times race winner, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu, the first F1 driver from China and the only rookie on the grid in 2022, the C42 is ready to impress.
‘C42 to impress’;
https://www.racecar.com/news/95335/m...he-c42-is-born
Alfa Romeo warn of ‘steep development curve’ in 2022
Date published: February 27 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse
Alfa Romeo say the development curve will be at its steepest in 2022 at the start of this all-new regulatory era.
Alfa Romeo’s technical director Jan Monchaux said: “As we unveil the C42, it may feel like the start of a new season: we know, however, that this launch is just a milestone in a much longer journey in which our whole staff in Hinwil has invested so much time, resource and energies.
“Designing and building this car has been a huge undertaking and we can be proud of what we have achieved, but our work is not finished.
‘Unfinished work, steep development curve’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...nt-curve-2022/
Bottas aiming to be 'best version of myself' at Alfa
Andrew Lewin27/02/2022 at 12:04
Speaking to the media at the launch of the C42 on Sunday, Bottas insisted that he saw this as the start of a new chapter and a time of fresh opportunities.
“I absolutely feel that I have still so much to do to get better, and so much more to give to the sport,” he said. “As a driver I think you never, never stop learning as long as you want to.
"It truly feels like now I can just be the best version of myself instead of trying to be something else and trying too hard," he continued. "I’m always looking at areas that I can be better."
‘Never stop learning as long as you want to’;
https://f1i.com/news/433383-bottas-a...f-at-alfa.html
Seventh a decent target for Alfa Romeo – Vasseur
by Phillip Horton
27/02/2022, 08:45
“The most important thing is to improve, always to improve and close the gap with the best ones on the grid,” said Frederic Vasseur.
“You can have different KPIs in terms of performance, but for sure we are fighting for the championship and, at the end of the day, the final target is to improve the championship position.
“We had a disappointing season last year with P9 and we want to do much better this season, but I also want to close the gap in terms of pure performance – because this is the reality of the job of the people back at the factory. “If it comes to numbers, I would say that P7 would be a decent target.”
‘Alfa Romeo target seventh’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...romeo-vasseur/
It is time to look closer at the Alfa Romeo C42
Date published: February 27 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse
It is not a surprise to see innovation on the C42, considering that Alfa Romeo put full focus into these new regulations, taking the hit of a difficult 2021 in the hope of reaping the rewards of this rule reset.
It was a troubled three days for Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas in particular struggling for track time as reliability woes persisted. With only 54 laps completed across the three days, Bottas set the lowest tally for any driver on the grid.
There is plenty of work ahead then for Alfa Romeo before the official pre-season test begins on March 10 in Bahrain, but now at last we have seen their challenger in its true colours which will grace the Bahrain International Circuit.
‘Alfa Romeo C42 full focus, with only 54 laps completed’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...2-closer-look/
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ALFA ROMEO REVEALS C42 CAR LIVERY.
The C42 livery includes the traditional red and white of Alfa Romeo. The team have said this design is a “subtle nod to the past” that reflects on the “historical designs” and the “heritage” of the team.
27/02/2022, 14:16
Abby Bathurst
Alfa Romeo were the final team to launch their livery for the upcoming season. During pre-season testing in Barcelona, the cars had been running a camouflage livery but today the team launched its new design.
‘C42 from camouflage to red and white’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al...42-car-livery/
Alfa Romeo Unveils New 2022 F1 Car, One for the "New Era"
27 Feb 2022, 17:12 UTC ·
by Silvian Irimia
Designed by Jan Monchaux, the Technical Director, this car is radically different from last year's project with an updated aerodynamic package, that embraces the new ground effect floor advantages as well as 18-inch, low-profile tires. A new Ferrari engine powers the C42 to help Alfa challenge for points and even podiums.
"The C42 is a car we look forward to seeing racing, not just because it is the first we built in this new regulations cycle, one in which racing should be closer and more thrilling, but because we have the utmost confidence in this car helping the team make a big step forward towards the front of the grid," declared Frédéric Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.
‘C42 for the new era’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/a...ra-182682.html
Vasseur 'quite confident' about Alfa Romeo reliability
Andrew Lewin27/02/2022 at 15:23
Valtteri Bottas was only able to complete 54 laps during his spell in the cockpit while his new team mate Guanyu Zhou managed 112 laps in total, with a damaged gearbox among the problems experienced.
“It’s our challenge, but I’m quite confident that we’ll be able to do it for next week,” he told the media at Sunday's launch event for the team's sparkling new livery. "For Bahrain I think we’ll be on the right way."
"It’s always the case with the new regulations, you have new issues coming in," Vasseur commented. "I think in two or three races, nobody will speak again about bouncing. We’ll have another issue or topic to discuss!”
‘Alfa Romeo confident on reliability’;
https://f1i.com/news/433388-vasseur-...liability.html
Gallery: See Alfa Romeo’s new F1 livery on the track
by Fergal Walsh
On Sunday, Alfa Romeo launched its new livery for the 2022 Formula 1 season, following the three days of the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona.
Following the launch, the car made its way onto the F1 circuit as part of a filming day run, with mileage restricted to 100km. At the test in Barcelona, the Italian squad ran in a camouflaged livery but appeared to struggle during the event, setting the second-fewest number of laps, ahead of only Haas.
‘‘Sunday launch’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-on-the-track/
Bottas: There’s work to do, but also there is potential
Jad Mallak
27 February, 2022
Alfa Romeo officially revealed their 2022 F1 car, the C42, with its full livery on Sunday, after three troublesome days of pre-season testing around the Spanish venue, where the car had a one-off camouflaged paint job.
Speaking to the media at the C42 launch, Bottas said: “It feels like we are still in very early stages of actually discovering the car.
“For me, it was quite limited running that we had, only with two different tyre compounds, and only with very few set-up changes. So there’s still so much more to discover,” he explained.
‘Work to do’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...-is-potential/
Alfa Romeo’s new F1 livery makes track debut in Barcelona
F1
Connor McDonagh
27 Feb 2022
Guanyu Zhou was handed the first opportunity to take the newly-painted car out on track in Barcelona before handing over to test driver, Robert Kubica.
The C42 maintains the traditional red and white colours, with red more prominent for this season.
Zhou - who spent the last three seasons in F2 - will race alongside 10-time grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas.
‘C42 Track Debut’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/996961...ebut-barcelona
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Beyond Alonso’s fire – Was Alpine’s test as bad as it seemed?
Fernando Alonso’s fiery stoppage on the final morning of Barcelona’s pre-season test brought Alpine’s low-key week to a premature yet dramatic end.
Feb 26 2022
By Scott Mitchell
“I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses,” says Permane. “I’m not saying we’re going to go out and beat Mercedes and Red Bull. But I think we are in a reasonable or in a decent position, honestly.”
after years of stagnation and a 2021 season in which Alpine finished fifth but definitely didn’t have the fifth-fastest car, this is a team that needs to progress towards the front rather than be quickest. Permane’s initial verdict is that the A522 looks like it might achieve that.
‘Alonso on fire’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/beyon...pines-f1-test/
Alpine purposely disguised progress in Barcelona.
Date published: February 27 2022 - Frank Parker
Alpine sporting director Alan Permane has said that not using DRS, and deliberately running heavier fuel loads has disguised any step forwards the team may have made.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses, and I’m not saying we’re going to go out and beat Mercedes and Red Bull, but I think we are in a decent position,” said Permane, as quoted by Motorsport.com.”
“The lap Fernando did [on the final] morning, although it was only one lap, it’s very comparable to what [Max] Verstappen did at the same time, albeit Verstappen is using DRS. If you overlay the GPS, which we can do with the systems we have from the FIA, the traces are almost identical apart from the straights where we lose a huge amount of time.”
‘Alpine disguised progress’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...ess-barcelona/
Binotto suspects sandbagging after ‘surprising’ results
Date published: February 27 2022 - Henry Valantine
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes some teams are sandbagging more than others on the grid, as he was left “surprised” by how closely matched the teams appeared to be in Barcelona.
“What surprised me is seeing all very different cars and despite that quite similar in terms of performance,” Binotto told Sky Italia.”
“When you see different conceptual choices, you expect to see that translated on track too with a performance difference.”
‘Sandbagging!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mattia...i-sandbagging/
McLaren least affected by porpoising, Ferrari on top of it
“Porpoising” is the word doing the rounds in the Formula 1 community after the conclusion of the first pre-season session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Jad Mallak
27 February, 2022
The issue of “porpoising” can be sorted, but that will have an effect on pace, with Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey telling Auto Motor und Sport: “It’s not difficult to stop the bouncing. But it’s difficult not to do it losing lap time.”
Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff, speaking to the same publication, added: “You can go up the rear with the ground clearance. But then you’re slow.”
McLaren seem to be the least team affected by the “porpoising”, and only experienced it when testing certain aero elements on the MCL36. “We had a couple of test items which appeared to promote it a bit more,” James Key, McLaren’s technical director, told Motorsport.com.
‘Porpoising solutions’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...-on-top-of-it/
Williams happy with Strong Finish to Barcelona Shakedown
By Ross Sheppard
February 27, 2022
Williams Racing had an impressive first three days of on track action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, getting some good mileage and managing to get to grips with the new FW44 car.
Head of vehicle performance Dave Robson was also happy with how the test went. He praised the teamwork of his colleagues and was glad to be working and getting to grips with a new car. This is what he had to say about their day.
“We had a strong finish to this first round of 2022 track running. Although we were held up this morning following some minor damage to a brake duct and some red flags, we managed a smooth afternoon, including our first experience of the 2022 Intermediate tyres, which we were able to share between Nicholas and Alex. As the track dried, we were able to complete the final round of data gathering before completing a sequence of long runs with Alex.
‘Williams shakedown happiness’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ona-shakedown/
The key data from F1’s first test of its new cars for 2022
2022 F1 season
Posted on
26th February 2022, 7:1725th February 2022, 23:09 | Written by Keith Collantine
Interpreting the data from Formula 1 testing is always fraught with difficulty. That’s especially true when teams are having their first experiences with cars built to drastically changed regulations, as was the case this week.
For those hoping to see a close competition this year, the spread between the lap times offers some encouragement. The difference between the teams’ fastest and slowest times was 2.747 seconds, which is slightly higher than the 2.5s seen at last year’s race.
‘Data on Lap Times, Lap Time Comparisons and Mileages tabulated’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/26/...cars-for-2022/
Marko ranks Red Bull among front runners after first test
Date published: February 27 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse
Red Bull driver programme boss Helmut Marko believes his team are still one of the top contenders following Barcelona.
Predicting the order based on the first pre-season outing is never ideal, but Marko has seen enough to suggest that Red Bull will go into the 2022 season as a front runner still.
“We believe that we are among the front runners,” he told Motorsport-Magazin.com.
‘Red Bull Front Runners’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...front-runners/
Russell expecting upgrades en masse in Bahrain
Date published: February 27 2022 - Henry Valantine
George Russell says he is expecting every team to bring improvements with them to pre-season testing in Bahrain, after three days in Barcelona.
“I think we’ll see it with all the teams,” Russell said, quoted by Motorsport.com. “We’ve got this massive regulation change. We’ve all arrived in Barcelona with our best estimate of where we need to place the car.
“It’s been incredibly intriguing and for all of us there’s been a lot of unexpected issues, which have been quite visible,” Russell said.
‘Upgrades and improvements’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...rain-upgrades/
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Why a four-decade-old problem took F1 teams by surprise.
Simulation tools are just that – simulations. Porpoising was the big talking point of the first pre-season Formula 1 test at Barcelona, with many teams admitting to being surprised at the extent of the problem despite it being a well-understood phenomenon.
The Race.
28/02/2022, 07:17
By Edd Straw
So with F1 teams using vast arrays of simulation technologies, how could a problem the risks of which are so well known not be detected before the cars ran on track for the first time? The answer is simple. Simulation tools are just that – simulations. They are not the real world and have limitations despite being developed and refined over a long period of time.
One of the most effective simulation tool available to the teams remains the windtunnel. However, simulating the behaviour of the car and the underfloor aero in the windtunnel at extremely low ride heights is outside of its parameters.
“The way the floor’s working, especially at lower ride heights in the windtunnel, makes it a difficult area to explore because Red Bull wouldn’t enjoy us putting stripes in their belt,” explained AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton.
‘Simulation did NOT reveal a four decade old problem’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-a...s-by-surprise/
McLaren surprised to escape 'porpoising' issues in Spain
Andrew Lewin 28/02/2022 at 07:23
The engineers at McLaren were also scratching their heads - but in their case it was because they were barely being troubled by 'porpoising' at all, and had been left to wonder why that was the case.
"Where we are, it hasn't really been a topic for us so far," stated McLaren technical director James Key. "We suffer from it a bit, but it's not a major concern or a major distraction for the drivers. We had a couple of test items which appeared to promote it a bit more,” he added. “But then removing them reduced it so you can fix it aerodynamically as well.”
“I’d love to make out that we've been super clever but the reality is this is very difficult to simulate," Key admitted. "It's not to say it couldn't come back with further development of course.”
‘McLaren scratching their heads’;
https://f1i.com/news/433396-mclaren-...-in-spain.html
Ferrari ‘chose to be disciplined’ when evaluating test
Date published: February 27 2022 - Jon Wilde
Carlos Sainz says Ferrari “chose to be disciplined” in evaluating the unofficial Barcelona test where they arguably looked the pick of the bunch.
The Scuderia encountered no significant issues and were also quick, especially on the first two days before Mercedes and Red Bull began to unleash some pace from their new challengers.
“As a team, we are very disciplined in not having expectations because we don’t rely at all on these tests,” said Sainz on Sky Italia, his total of 236 laps over the three days at the Circuit de Catalunya having been the highest among the 21 drivers in action, 24 ahead of second-placed Daniel Ricciardo. You will not see either a happy team or a disappointed one because we chose to be disciplined in not believing too much what happens during these tests.”
‘Scuderia discipline’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...st-evaluation/
Alpha Tauri not noticing Honda’s F1 exit
ANDREW MAITLAND
FEBRUARY 28, 2022
Officially, the Japanese manufacturer left F1 after winning the title with Red Bull and Max Verstappen at the end of 2021.
Actually, Honda engines are still in the four cars for 2022, the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) logos are now on the engine covers, and even Mashashi Yamamoto is still in the paddock.
‘Honda power’;
https://grandpx.news/alpha-tauri-not...ondas-f1-exit/
Bottas doesn’t share Russell’s safety concerns over ‘porpoising’
2022 F1 season
Posted on
28th February 2022, 7:1827th February 2022, 23:38 | Written by Keith Collantine
George Russell, who replaced Bottas at Mercedes during the off-season, said last week the bouncing seen at Circuit de Catalunya “has the potential to be a real safety concern”. However Bottas is confident teams will rapidly get it under control.
“For now I don’t think it’s a safety issue,” he said. “I think it’s just the way that the aero of the car works.
“Obviously it’s a fact that the lower you go with the car, the more you have downforce. And if you find a way to have a good ride in the car, being able to run it low, you might gain some performance. But obviously in some places [that comes] with a cost of the ride itself, especially in high speeds and over the bumps.
‘Safety concerns?’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/28/...a-safety-risk/
Andretti F1 team would be powered by Renault
ANDREW MAITLAND
FEBRUARY 28, 2022
Michael Andretti’s new Formula 1 entry for 2024 would be powered by customer Renault engines.
“We already know where our facility in the UK will be built and we have a formal engineer supplier agreement. I can talk about it being Renault now,” he said.
“I think there was a lot of speculation from Toto Wolff as he was worried it would be Ferrari.”
‘Andretti F1 with Renault’;
https://grandpx.news/andretti-f1-tea...ed-by-renault/
Michael Andretti Says He Has Money, Reveals Backup Plan to Get into F1
Motorsports mogul trying to start his own team, has offer on the table to buy Haas F1 Team.
BY STEVEN COLE SMITH
Feb 28, 2022
“The plan for the future,” Andretti told Autoweek, “is to have an American team, with an American-built car, and American drivers. The immediate plan is to get approval and start working toward getting on the track for the 2024 season. An even more immediate plan would be to buy an existing team, “but none are available. Nobody is interested in selling.”
While Andretti wants to build the car itself in the U.S., it’s highly unlikely that would happen in the next few years. Europe is the technology base, and that’s almost certainly where the chassis would come from. Same with an engine supplier – it could be an American effort in the future, but not in the near term.
‘Andretti F1 back up plan’;
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...ackup-plan-f1/
‘Chump change’: F1 giants ‘worried’ about US outfit Andretti’s $1bn plan to join grid by 2024
Max Laughton from Fox Sports
February 28th, 2022 7:42 pm
F1 broadcaster Will Buxton believes the sport’s giants are “worried” about the potential power of an Andretti Autosport entry into the field, which could come as soon as 2024.
But the global reach and strong backing of the team, which includes cars in IndyCar, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, Formula E and a large stake in Supercars team Walkinshaw Andretti United - which won the Bathurst 1000 last year - has “the establishment” worried according to Will Buxton.
“Speaking to a lot of folks in the IndyCar paddock this weekend. The Andretti F1 project is serious. Very serious,” he tweeted. “They could pay the ($200 million) entry fee as chump change. And in a non budget capped era have funding to make the top 3 wince. No wonder the establishment are worried.”
‘Chumps change for Andretti F1 entry’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...28ece420446f9e
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Gary Anderson: Is this why McLaren looks immune to porpoising?
Thanks to the wet running on the final afternoon, and some special photographic trickery, we now have some understanding of why that might be the case.
28 Feb 2022, 12:13
By Gary Anderson
But McLaren already appears largely to have eliminated the problem thanks to how powerful the vortices running down the side of the underfloor area.
These seal the low-pressure area from the outside world and, by being more energetic than those produced by McLaren’s rivals, make the floor less prone to stalling because they don’t try to seal the floor by running the sides of the floor more or less or ground.
Fortunately, the wet running creates spray and allows us to see exactly what is happening aerodynamically both on and off the car’s surface.
‘McLaren immunity’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...to-porpoising/
Gasly says AlphaTauri AT03 felt 'positive straight out of the box' in Barcelona
28 February 2022
Pierre Gasly was buoyed by his AlphaTauri AT03’s performance straight out of the Barcelona pit lane, and despite a small crash on the final day he left Spain buzzing for the Bahrain Official Pre-Season Test.
The Frenchman completed 187 laps over the three-day programme – more than Day 3 leader Lewis Hamilton – while AlphaTauri managed 308 tours of Barcelona in total. Gasly said he'd been “super excited” to try the new breed of F1 car, and it seemed AlphaTauri’s AT03 did not disappoint.
‘AT03 Positivity’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...6JI2QSU7h.html
Albon: Ability to follow through corners a ‘nice surprise’
by Fergal Walsh
28/02/2022, 12:13
Alexander Albon has provided positive comments regarding the ability to follow cars through corners following the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona.
“It’s a nice surprise and it’s something which takes a bit of getting used to because the effect of following is… as you gain almost a memory from what you can and can’t do when you’re a certain distance from a car, how to back off, you learn the limits of following and that’s being recalibrated a little bit.
“I haven’t spent many laps behind other cars but you can tell it’s improved greatly and that’s great for the sport. Hopefully, it will translate well.”
‘Following in corners improved’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...nice-surprise/
Verstappen: The car will be completely different in Bahrain
Editor
28 February, 2022
Max Verstappen revealed that the Red Bull RB18 will be vastly different in Bahrain to what was seen during the first three days of testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week.
Quoted by F1.com, Verstappen said: “I just focussed on doing a lot of laps and try to really nail down every single aspect of the car. What was positive is the car was running smooth.”
“I was happy with the balance – but Bahrain is going to be completely different, so heading into race one, the car will be completely different as well.”
‘Red Bull RB18 will be different’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...nt-in-bahrain/
Alonso: We’ve made a step forward on everything
Editor
28 February, 2022
Up in smoke is how Fernando Alonso’s final day of testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week, nevertheless the Alpine driver saw the positives of the three days in his homeland.
“And keep… the reliability that we had last year; it was one of the strongest points of the car, finishing all the races and having no issues at all. So yes, you need to combine those two things: the performance and finishing the races.”
Alonso continued: “Until we go to Bahrain, we don’t know even what the others did as well on the engine side and how much progress everyone did this winter. There is new fuel, so we all lost performance with the new fuel, and we all try to recover that. So, let’s see in Bahrain.”
‘Step forward on everything’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...on-everything/
‘He’s strong’: Norris dismisses Russell’s comments about McLaren
Ferrari and McLaren both impressed during the first three days of testing in Barcelona, but Red Bull and Mercedes asserted dominance on day three.
by Rob Kershaw
28 February 202228 February 2022
As a result, Norris believes Mercedes are stronger than his compatriot would have us believe, and reckons that Mercedes and Red Bull – who were incontestably the two quickest teams last year – are still the top dogs.
“George obviously topped the timesheets [on Friday morning] so if he thinks we’re strong, we’re going to think he’s strong,” he told reporters.
‘He’s strong’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/hes-stron...about-mclaren/
Binotto: Some teams sandbagging more than others
Jad Mallak
28 February, 2022
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes teams are sandbagging, which makes the process of predicting the Formula 1 pecking order a bit premature.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, Binotto rebuffed the claims of Ferrari superiority, and insists it is too early to know who is fast and who’s not.
“For judging the performance is too early, I think,” he claimed. “Some teams are sandbagging more than others. We will see that with the tests in Bahrain and with the first races.”
‘Sandbagging’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...e-than-others/
Lance and Sebastian review 2022 F1 Barcelona testing
28.02.2022
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™
Lance and Sebastian combined to complete a total of 296 laps across the three days, adding up to a total of 1,377.880km, providing plenty of valuable data and insight into the AMR22.
Sebastian: "It has been a useful few days and we have learned a lot about the AMR22, although we, like all the other teams, still have a lot more to learn considering that we are all dealing with a brand-new generation of Formula One cars.”
Lance: "It was a shame not to complete any laps [on the final] afternoon but it has been great to be back behind the wheel of a Formula One car. "We have already learned a lot about the AMR22, which is important because the cars are so different this year.”
‘Plenty of data’;
https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...celona-testing
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Ricciardo says McLaren executed a 'pretty flawless' pre-season programme in Spain.
There were no complaints from Daniel Ricciardo after McLaren’s start to pre-season running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week, the Australian reckoning the team’s programme had kicked off without a hitch last week.
28 February 2022
“I think we’re in a good spot, but there’s always something to work on and improve. So, we’ll give the team some data to work with and some areas of work to do [and] I'll focus on what I can keep doing better,” said Ricciardo.
“Overall, a pretty flawless three days for the team, a really awesome start to the season. Thanks to everyone back at [the factory] for putting the hard work in over the winter to put us in this position.”
‘McLaren flawless’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...zlGOPwDIk.html
Marko: Hamilton at his peak but age is slowly coming into play
Paul Velasco
28 February, 2022
“Hamilton delivered an incredible second half of the season. I can hardly imagine that he can drive at this level for much longer. He’s now at his peak, but age is slowly coming into play,” reckoned Marko.
As for 24-year-old Verstappen, the Austrian motorsport veteran is on record saying: “He is now World Champion and he will get even stronger.”
Marko was also bullish when summing up the three days of testing in Spain, speaking to F1-Insider: “We are satisfied. I’m sure we had more fuel onboard compared to most of the others. I think we are on par with Mercedes and just ahead of Ferrari.”
‘Verstappen will get even stronger’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/02...ing-into-play/
How Red Bull broke all F1 traditions with the new RB18
28/02/2022, 18:30
Author Paolo Filisetti
Co-author Mike Seymour
Red Bull's aggressive-looking RB18 emerged for the first time last week, as pre-season testing got underway in Barcelona. But what makes it so special? RacingNews365.com technical analyst Paolo Filesetti explains.
Curiosity, in particular, swept the paddock at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya ahead of Wednesday's running, as media - and in turn fans - waited for their first glimpse of the RB18. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton was compelled to go on a tour of the pit lane to study rival designs, taking a moment to peer inside the Red Bull garage as 2021 title rival Max Verstappen got strapped into his car.
When it emerged, the latest car from designers Adrian Newey and Rob Marshall did not disappoint, revealing itself to be a machine that was anything but conventional. Not only did the bodywork shapes represent yet another interpretation of the new rules, but the whole concept of the car also caused a stir, particularly the suspension details.
‘RB18 anything but conventional’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-red-bu...h-the-new-rb18
Valtteri Bottas: “Since I joined, I have seen so much motivation within this team”
By Paul Hensby
February 28, 2022
Valtteri Bottas admitted to being impressed by the new Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN 2022 car, the C42, despite an underwhelming first pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Finn made the switch from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team during the off-season to replace his retiring countryman Kimi Räikkönen, and he is excited to see what lies ahead with his new team after the unveiling of the C42 on Sunday.
The C42 is the latest design to come out of Hinwil, and is the first designed to the new aero regulations that came into effect in 2022, and Bottas was pleased with how the car looked when the true paint work was unveiled to the world.
‘Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN motivation team’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...hin-this-team/
‘Somehow we are managing the situation’: Binotto on Ferrari porpoising
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto insists that the team looked at the issue and have solved it.
by Rob Kershaw
28 February 202228 February 2022
One of the key themes of the pre-season test in Barcelona was undoubtedly the aggressive manner in which the cars seemed to bounce up and down along the straight, and there is speculation that this may be cause for concern for some of the teams.
Not least of those was Ferrari, and a slow-motion video of Charles Leclerc’s car shaking his head around the cockpit made for slightly nauseating viewing.
However, team principal Mattia Binotto insists that the team looked at the issue, and have solved it. “On the bouncing, I think it was an issue but it’s not any more,” he told reporters on Friday – the last day of the first test.
‘Ferrari are managing Charles Leclerc’s car shaking his head around the cockpit’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/somehow-w...ri-porpoising/
Alfa Romeo ‘confident’ in reliability despite Barcelona woes
Date published: February 28 2022 - Henry Valantine
Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur has said he remains “confident” that the reliability of the C42 will improve, after a tough time in Barcelona.
“It’s our challenge, but I’m quite confident that we’ll be able to do it for next week,” he told reporters at the launch of the C42 over the weekend, quoted by F1i. “For Bahrain I think we’ll be on the right way.”
“We saw on our side and the other teams, everybody made big improvements over the first three days and will come back next week. All the teams [will develop] a new configuration to fix it completely.”
‘Alfa Romeo confidence’
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...2-reliability/
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Mercedes looking at ‘interesting’ Red Bull sidepods
Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott hinted the team will “have a think” about how the radical-looking Red Bull sidepods work, after the cars were in action in pre-season running in Barcelona.
Date published: March 1 2022 - Henry Valantine
The RB18’s sidepods raised eyebrows in the week for just how different they look compared to other cars in the field, as they are significantly raised and undercut and appear to have left more room underneath for air to flow.
Previous design processes led by Adrian Newey have not been strangers when it comes to technical innovation and trying something different, and the new set of regulations appear to have shown Red Bull take a different approach to the rest of the teams on the grid.
‘Red Bull Sidepods’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...bull-sidepods/
Verstappen expects Bahrain F1 test to be 'completely different'
01/03/2022, 07:00
Author Mike Seymour
Verstappen: Lap times will only matter in Q3 in Bahrain
Expanding on his first impressions of the new RB18, Verstappen explained that "everything was working well" up to this point.
"The car runs really well. In general, the weight is a bit up, but I really enjoy driving the car," he went on to comment, amid F1's rules reset for 2022.”
"It has a nice, stable balance and I think [the new cars] look cool as well – that's always nice to jump into.”
‘RB18 looks cool’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...-at-final-test
Ricciardo: Red Bulls, Mercs, haven’t showed anything yet
Jad Mallak
1 March, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo warns – despite McLaren’s encouraging Barcelona Formula 1 test – that Red Bull and Mercedes haven’t showed anything of their real pace yet.
The eight-time Grand Prix winner is adamant that the top teams are keeping their powder dry: “In any case, still your Red Bulls, your Mercs, they haven’t showed really anything yet.
“So we’ll see what happens when that kind of opens up a little more. But for now, focusing on ourselves… just trying to figure out still where we’re [weak].
‘Keeping the powder dry’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...-anything-yet/
How fast the 2022 F1 cars really are
1st March 2022, 07:21
By Scott Mitchell
“The 2021 cars were amazing to drive and I think our starting point in terms of performance is not so far from last year,” says AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly.
“So, considering all the development that we’re going to see at the start of the season and over the next couple of months, I think we will see pretty much similar performances.”
This echoes a recent prediction from Aston Martin technical Andrew Green that before long the 2022 generation would be on a par with their predecessors.
‘Performance on par with predecessors soon’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1/Pre-Season+Testing
Tech Draft: Formula 1 2022 becomes real in Bahrain
Mark Kay
1 March, 2022
With the first showing of the new breed of Formula 1 cars at the ‘group’ shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya now ended, we eagerly anticipate the conclusion of ‘real’ pre-season testing in Bahrain in just over a week.
Who has the advantage? I honestly think that its Ferrari that holds the upper hand… Let me explain why.
The amount of wind tunnel and CFD testing resource available to a team under this system is dependent on its finishing position in the previous year’s Constructors’ Championship.
With Ferrari’s disastrous finishing position of 6th in the 2020 Championship, this means that out of the Big 3 of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull, it is the Scuderia that has benefited the most from the resource handicapping system under which F1 has administered since the beginning of 2021.
‘Scuderia benefits’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...al-in-bahrain/
Russell: Active suspension solves ‘Porpoising’ with a click of your fingers
Jad Mallak
1 March, 2022
Russell channels his inner engineer. George Russell spoke to the media about the issue, he said: “We just saw with the Charles video just how bad it was for them. So, I think we will need to find a solution.
“I guess if active suspension was there, it could be solved with a click of your fingers. And the cars would naturally be a hell of a lot faster if we had that.
“I’m sure all the teams are capable of that, so that could be one for the future. But let’s see in Bahrain. I’m sure the teams will come up with some smart ideas around this issue.
‘Click of your fingers’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...-your-fingers/
Ferrari has ‘most powerful engine’ – Wolff
ANDREW MAITLAND
FEBRUARY 28, 2022
“I think the McLaren and the Ferrari are looking incredibly strong,” said Mercedes’ George Russell, who admitted that the German team is not “fully happy” after the first test in Barcelona.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff agreed: “We have the feeling that Ferrari currently has the most powerful engine. But we’ve only had three days of testing and winter testing can be deceiving.”
Wolff’s Ferrari counterpart Mattia Binotto insisted: “We’re not the favourites, we’re the outsiders.”
‘Ferrari most powerful engine’;
https://grandpx.news/ferrari-has-mos...-engine-wolff/
‘It’s great news for Spain’: Alonso tips Sainz and Ferrari to have championship run in 2022
Fernando Alonso has tipped Ferrari to be the quickest team in 2022 after three days of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
by Rob Kershaw
28 February 202228 February 2022
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso believes that his former Ferrari team have put together the best package ahead of the 2022 season.
“Ferrari seems to be the fastest car, which is surely a surprise. For Carlos it’s great news and for Spain in general,” he told TVE.
‘Carlos Sainz tipped to be the 2022 F1 World Champion’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/its-great...p-run-in-2022/
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Gary Anderson: How Red Bull’s dramatic sidepod design works.
It’s all about ensuring the highest-quality, highest-speed airflow to the rear of the car and maximising the ground effect aero by sealing the underfloor.
1st March 2022, 9:24
By Gary Anderson
The Race
The front of the sidepods are designed to push the airflow around the sides of the car. That airflow is sent in several different directions. Together, these set up a vortex that travels down the outer edge of the rear part of the floor.
These are crucial for sealing the underfloor from the outside world, which means the underfloor will produce much higher aerodynamic load. The last generation of ground effect F1 cars had side skirts that touched the ground, but these vortices form ‘virtual’ skirts to maintain the low pressure area beneath the underfloor.
‘Sidepod vortex sealer’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...-design-works/
Red Bull RB18 is overweight, needs a diet
Jad Mallak
1 March, 2022
Red Bull’s RB18 may have turned heads around the Barcelona paddock during testing last week, but Adrian Newey’s latest Formula 1 brainchild has an underlying weight issue.
However it seems that all other cars are having weight problems, as they seem to be exceeding the current minimum weight of 795 kilograms, and some even by double digits.
Red Bull’s consultant Dr. Helmut Marko: “However it seems that all other cars are having weight problems, as they seem to be exceeding the current minimum weight of 795 kilograms, and some even by double digits.”
‘Red Bull RB18 Diet’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...-needs-a-diet/
Alfa Romeo ‘giving up performance’ to fix F1 porpoising issue
F1
Connor McDonagh
1 Mar 2022
Alfa Romeo technical director Jan Monchaux expects Formula 1 teams will have to compromise their own car performance to solve the issue of porpoising in 2022.
Cars were often bouncing down the start-finish straight on Barcelona when reaching high speeds, resulting in a loss of downforce into the next corner and potentially leading to other issues as the suspension is shaken.
Alfa Romeo was one of the teams most affected, completing only 165 laps across the three days of testing.
‘Alfa Romeo compromise’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/997017...rpoising-issue
Marko warns McLaren’s blistering pre-season pace could disappear
George Russell reckons McLaren look especially competitive ahead of the new season, but Dr Helmut Marko is not sure.
by Rob Kershaw
1 March 20221 March 2022
Dr Marko believes that the reason for McLaren’s notable pace in Barcelona was purely owed to them pushing harder than other teams, and jokingly suggested that they are looking for more sponsors.
“McLaren is chasing sponsors,” he quipped.
‘McLaren chasing sponsorship!’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/marko-war...uld-disappear/
TECH TUESDAY: Why ripples and curls adorn the floors of the 2022 cars
Technical contributors
Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola
01 March 2022
Because of the wide variation in cooling layouts and the associated sidepod design of the new generation of cars, the way in which teams are striving to maximise the effectiveness of the underbody venturi tunnels is similarly varied. The most visible area of this differentiation is in the wildly different contouring and detail of the outer edges of the floor.
‘Ripples and curls’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...1IpbXUtVt.html
Ferrari are still ‘far from best performance’
Date published: March 1 2022 - Henry Valantine
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc combined to rack up more laps than any other team throughout the pre-season shakedown, with 439 tours around the Circuit de Catalunya as the team collected valuable data on the 2022 cars for the first time.
While some teams are expected to bring significant upgrades to the official pre-season test in Bahrain from March 10, Binotto does not expect Ferrari to make the same kind of changes to their car and make the most of what’s available to them.
“The first step for us is to optimise what we have, as Carlos said, we are still far from the best performance, not only because we are running high fuel or the best engine mode, but simply because I think there is a lot more to exploit from the car itself.
‘Ferrari ‘chilled’ with minimal upgrades’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...ce-ahead-2022/
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Some Bahrain updates ‘not quite in spirit of the rules’.
According to the German publication, none of the teams “showed all their cards” in Barcelona with one engineer saying Formula 1 “won’t see the delicate things that could lie in a grey area until we get to Bahrain”.
Date published: March 2 2022 - Michelle Foster
As such Sky Sports’ pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz predicted prior to Spain that there would be “some controversies with who has interpreted the rules in a way that wasn’t intended by the FIA. There might be some controversies over flexing floors and different ideas.”
Apparently the CAD data that the FIA have already seen in order to check the legality of the upgrades that are coming, shows that some are “sailing close to the wind and bringing solutions that do not quite correspond to the spirit of the regulations.”
‘Spirit of the Rules’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/some-b...-of-the-rules/
Things We Learned From F1 Testing in Barcelona
1 Mar 2022, 18:15 UTC ·
by Silvian Irimia
One of the most popular questions from last year was whether Mercedes and Red Bull will have enough time to develop the 2022 car after a titanic fight for both World Championships until the final race. In addition, they had the harshest restrictions on aerodynamic testing.
But after the three days in Spain, Mercedes drivers topped the timesheet with a one-two finish, and Red Bull's own Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were right behind them in third and fourth. However, these times are still potentially misleading because Mclaren and Ferrari seemed faster than the Silver Arrows on some sessions.
‘Potentially Misleading Times’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/t...na-182889.html
Why Russell's proposed porpoising solution would cause more problems
St March 2022, 15:10
Author Mike Seymour
Co-author Paolo Filisetti
George Russell has called for the return of active suspension to combat porpoising in F1. But as RacingNews365.com technical analyst Paolo Filisetti explains, such a move would be far from straightforward.
In response to Russell's comments, RacingNews365.com's Paolo Filisetti explains why the return of active suspension is not feasible on several levels.
‘Causing more problem’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-russel...-more-problems
Ferrari boss responds to Hamilton's pre-season comments
01/02/2022, 16:00
Author Mike Seymour
Mattia Binotto has given his reaction to Lewis Hamilton's suggestion that Ferrari could be well clear of the field in the 2022 development race.
"I'm pretty sure that they will be two or three months ahead of us by the time we will be in Bahrain!" Binotto told Sky Sports, ahead of Mercedes posting the fastest time of the test on the final day of action.
"I think that it's very difficult today to judge the performance and the relative competitiveness between the teams.
‘Mercedes will be two or three months ahead of us’;
https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-bo...eason-comments
Five things we learned from the first F1 test of 2022 at Barcelona
F1
Lewis Larkam
2 Mar 2022
There was huge intrigue surrounding the event given it was the first time F1’s new generation of cars had run collectively on track, and there were some fascinating storylines to emerge.
It may have looked like 'business as usual’ as Mercedes ended the test with a 1-2 ahead of 2021 rival Red Bull, but lap times from pre-season can be hugely misleading and should always be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nevertheless, there was still plenty to glean across three days of running in Spain as teams completed plenty of miles and encountered the usual winter testing gremlins. (See video link)
‘Five pinches of salt’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/997056...t-f1-test-2022
F1 NATION: Diving into 2022's opening pre-season running at Barcelona
01 March 2022
F1 is back and so is F1 Nation! Tom Clarkson, Damon Hill and Natalie Pinkham chat about the news, views and pre-season clues from three days of running in Barcelona.
Which teams have made strong starts, and which still have work to do?
Plus, the gang unpack rumours of 'brand-new' cars being prepared for the Official Pre-Season Test in Bahrain as squads aim to bring significant upgrade packages to the next sessions on March 10-12.
‘F1 Clarkson’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Nrb9M1U2q.html
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Horner expects four-way F1 title battle with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
“There is the possibility we’re in for an absolutely epic year,” says Christian Horner, in a rare moment of calm between pre-season tests and ahead of the slog of a record-breaking 23-race season – assuming a venue is found to replace the cancelled Russian Grand Prix.
March 2nd 2022
Author
Damien Smith
We meet the Red Bull Racing team principal on a flying visit to the Milton Keynes campus – an accurate description of the place given the astonishing expansion of what started out as the relatively humble Stewart Grand Prix base all those years ago. In the office next door Adrian Newey buzzes around, likely hard at work taking on the learnings from the opening Barcelona test in preparation for three more days in Bahrain next week. He’s filled with porpoise – I mean purpose… and it’s clearly all go. Horner yawns several times during our chat, and it’s likely he’s been burning the candle at both ends. But he’s in a reflective mood, too.
‘Epic year ahead’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...-and-mercedes#
Gary Anderson: Adjusted F1 test times hint at Ferrari advantage
Mar 2 2022
By Gary Anderson
The first pre-season Formula 1 test at Barcelona gave us our first indication of the competitive order, and it seemed like business as usual with Mercedes fastest ahead of Red Bull.
But to help us understand a little better what the order appears to be, we can recalculate all of the best times of every driver to see what their pace would have been adjusted to the C4 tyre.
But I’ve looked back at what we’ve seen in the past from each team in terms of testing fuel loads to add a little extra context. I’ve used the 2020 test to the first race as the comparison given 2021 was affected by the carryover cars that impacted some more than others.
‘Tabulated order!’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...ari-advantage/
Why the 2022 F1 pecking order is expected to become clear at Bahrain test
2nd March 2022, 13:40
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Dieter Rencken
Formula 1 is preparing to head to Bahrain for a double-header of events, starting with the official pre-season test before the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix one week later. Ferrari's Mattia Binotto believes that this is when the pecking order may become a little clearer. There have been plenty of mind games since Barcelona, with multiple drivers and teams keen to play down the competitiveness of their cars, even when topping the timesheets.
"In Barcelona, the first test was to collect data and, as we said, to try to understand the correlation," explained Binotto, speaking to members of the media including RacingNews365.com.
"But when we go to Bahrain, then it will be very close to the first race of the season. We will all, I believe, try to simulate some race simulations, quali[fying] simulations, how we try to extract the most of the performance from the car itself.
‘Pecking Order to become clear’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-the-20...t-bahrain-test
Lando Norris makes Mercedes performance prediction ahead of Bahrain trip
By George Dagless
Published: 2 Mar 2022, 12:05
“Mercedes never look that good in testing, only when they get to the first race. If they’re good in testing, that means they’re probably going to be incredible by the first race!”
“I think everyone’s worked on their own programmes and so on. Of course, everyone has different fuel loads and power modes and whatever.”
‘‘Mercedes Prediction’;
https://www.givemesport.com/87978960...f-bahrain-trip
Kravitz on who’s hot and who’s not in Barcelona
Date published: March 2 2022 - Mark Scott
Sky Sports F1 paddock and pit-lane reporter, Ted Kravitz, has provided his initial assessment of 2022 field following the shakedown event in Barcelona. And, whilst it was a familiar duo in Mercedes and Red Bull at the top end of the timesheet, two other teams have caught Kravitz’s eye for all the right reasons based on his three days of observation.
“Undoubtedly McLaren and Ferrari,” was Kravitz’s answer when asked in a Sky Sports Q and A which teams have made the biggest step up since last year.
“After Day One it just felt like both of those cars could do decent lap times at a moment’s notice and more significant was Mercedes’ surprise at how quick McLaren and Ferrari were, and they’ve got all the GPS data to know that.
‘Kravitz on Hot’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ted-kr...arcelona-test/
F1 confirm Bahrain testing schedule and when cars will be on track
01/02/2022, 11:10
Author Tom Leach
Formula 1 have confirmed that testing in Bahrain will run from 10:00 to 19:00 local time, which means 07:00 to 16:00 GMT.
If the test in Barcelona is anything to go by, there will also be a one-hour lunch break sandwiched between the four-hour sessions.
Cars are expected to be on track throughout the four-hour sessions as the likes Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari look to learn all they can about their new challengers.
‘Looking to learn’;
https://racingnews365.com/f1-confirm...ll-be-on-track
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Leclerc says Ferrari is ‘working harder than ever’.
Charles Leclerc said he felt “good” after Ferrari impressed during the first pre-season test in Barcelona but warned they were not focusing on performance at this stage.
Date published: March 2 2022 - Sam Cooper
“When you’re doing a lot of laps, you are certainly collecting data. So far I’m pleased by the fact that we did many laps which is important. Regarding the pace, it’s very early to judge. What I can see is that we are all very close, which was one of the objectives of the new regulations.”
“Overall, as Ferrari it was important for us to put focus and priority on 2022. We always said it was an opportunity. Now we are on track, we are trying to learn the car.”
“How we benefit from that, I think only the next months – not the next days – will tell us. To see the full potential of the cars will take at least four to five races as there is still so much to learn, to adapt, to address. Let’s wait and see. Honestly, we’re not the strongest team. We are still the outsider and not the favourites.”
Ferrari working harder’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...der-than-ever/
‘First look says Ferrari overtook Mercedes and Red Bull’
Date published: March 3 2022 - Michelle Foster
“The first balance of the test in Barcelona was that Ferrari overtook Mercedes and Red Bull,” Red Bull advisor Marko told RTL.
“They are teams that has different technical concepts and in Bahrain the fine-tuning will be decisive. In terms of engine power, it seems that Ferrari is now the best.”
He’s not the only one who feels Ferrari have surged ahead with their engine, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff also saying that “Ferrari have the strongest power unit at the moment”. Wolff isn’t overly concerned, and neither is Marko.
‘Ferrari overtake!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...-and-red-bull/
The positive that teams that struggled in Barcelona testing can take away
02/03/2022, 15:20
Author Anna Francis
The first 2022 pre-season test in Barcelona appeared to go better for some teams than others. However, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has explained why those who struggled may not need to worry too much yet.
"If you're going to struggle at some point, the not-filmed Barcelona pre-testing test is going to be the time to do it," Palmer said on Formula1.com. "But it is just that really. The official pre-season test is in Bahrain. All these cars, we're trying to dissect, [but] it could all look really different in Bahrain and this is all nul and void.”
"There's a lot of time before the first race. This is still fascinating, but it's ever-moving goals, especially with the new generation [of cars]."
‘Moving goals’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-positi...-can-take-away
Did F1’s new 2022 cars really need two tests?
The Race
03/03/2022, 07:19
By Scott Mitchell
Formula 1’s new technical regulations have meant a return to two three-day tests in 2022. After the first, some have questioned whether it was necessary.
There were all sorts of hints in the off-season that ‘Team A’ was still failing crash tests and that ‘Team B’ would struggle to get its new car ready in time to run at Barcelona. Then on day one all but two teams completed more than 100 laps. Instant reliability for the vast majority.
The new cars were hardly bulletproof in Spain. The final day saw to that – Alpine and Aston Martin had fires, Haas and Alfa Romeo had a litany of problems. For one reason or another, four teams failed to complete any running on the final afternoon.
‘Two tests for new Technical Regulations’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/did-f...eed-two-tests/
Williams’ ‘radical’ FW44 catches the eye in Barcelona
Date published: March 3 2022 - Mark Scott
The new Williams FW44 has caught the eye of its former World Champion Damon Hill following three days of unofficial testing at Barcelona.
And, on the latest edition of the F1 Nation podcast, Hill name checked Williams and Ferrari as the teams that stood out to him, pointing out some similarities along the way. “The Williams is incredibly radical,” Hill remarked.
“It’s phenomenal, the packaging on that thing. “Williams are a bit like Ferrari in [their situation].”
“Their Prancing Horse was hobbled a bit when they had their problem with their power unit, and they were clipped back, and they’ve been in reset mode, as have Williams. “
Williams FW44 Radical Reset Mode’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...eye-barcelona/
Binotto: Mercedes will be ‘two or three months ahead’ of Ferrari
Mattia Binotto does not agree that Ferrari have the upper hand over Mercedes after the first pre-season test in Barcelona.
by Rob Kershaw
2 March 2022
Binotto dismissed rumours that the Scuderia are quicker than them ahead of the new season.
“I’m pretty sure that they will be two or three months ahead of us by the time we will be in Bahrain!” he told Sky Sports. “I think that it’s very difficult today to judge the performance and the relative competitiveness between the teams.”
“What was important for us was to collect data here and I think we can be somehow satisfied with the amount of laps we did. [Everything] will be analysed back in Maranello.”
‘Scuderia Data Collecting’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/binotto-m...ad-of-ferrari/
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Ferrari focused on 'optimizing' F1-75, not upgrades.
"I think that the first step for us will be to optimise what we have," explained Binotto, quoted by Motorsport.com.
Phillip van Osten03/03/2022 at 17:2703/03/2022 at 17:26
Contrary to Mercedes and Red Bull which will both roll out updated iterations of their 2022 cars in Bahrain, Ferrari's F1-75 will take to the track with few upgrades.
"We are more focused on that one [extracting more pace], not only in terms of setup engineering, but as well in terms of driving style and the drivers themselves. So let's wait, let's see what the others will bring.”
"Certainly, as Ferrari we are always concerned on upgrades of our competitors. And I'm pretty sure they will be very, very strong by then."
‘Ferrari F1-75 optimisation’;
https://f1i.com/news/433610-ferrari-...-upgrades.html
Binotto: F1-75 will not be much different in Bahrain
Jad Mallak
3 March, 2022
Binotto revealed that Ferrari are sticking with the same version of the F1-75 they ran in Barcelona, in an attempt to understand it fully, and optimise it as much as possible.
“It will not be much different compared to what we’ve got,” he said. “I think that the first step for us will be to optimise what we have.”
“We are still far from the best performance, not only because we are running high fuel and not the best engine mode, but simply because there is a lot to exploit more from the car itself.”
‘Ferrari F1-75 to be exploited’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...nt-in-bahrain/
‘Lando may be playing mind games, but Mercedes aren’t’
Date published: March 3 2022 - Mark Scott
With Russell and Norris both trying to deflect attention away from their own respective teams and onto their rivals, it will only be in Bahrain when we start to figure out the truth.
But, in Russell’s case, he said he has no interest in playing games. It is unclear whether his nose grew as he was saying this.
“I can’t be bothered with mind games, it’s too much effort. No, there are no mind games,” Russell told reporters in Barcelona.
‘Mind games?’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...ll-mind-games/
Norris: Mercedes never look that good in testing
Jad Mallak
3 March, 2022
Lando Norris and McLaren had an impressive Formula 1 test in Barcelona, the Briton topping the time screens on Day 1, but he warned that Mercedes will have the edge, as they never tend to look good in testing.
“Mercedes never look that good in testing, only when they get to the first race,” Norris pointed out. “If they’re good in testing, that means they’re probably going to be incredible by the first race!”
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...od-in-testing/
Verstappen set to ink a quarter billion euros Red Bull deal
Reuters
2 March, 2022
Max Verstappen the 2021 Formula 1 World Champion has agreed on a lucrative long-term contract extension with Red Bull said to be worth around €250-million over the next five years, Dutch media reported on Wednesday.
Helmut Marko said before that Verstappen should not expect too much money from Red Bull following a contract extension, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case, as the energy drinks outfit have reportedly broken the bank to retain the second F1 World Champion to emerge from their junior ranks after Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull have most probably played it safe by locking down Verstappen in a long-term deal, and avoid the risk of him being lured by another team, a case of the reigning Champion seeing the grass greener on the other side of the fence.
‘Quarter Billion’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...red-bull-deal/
Verstappen: Easy decision to stay with Red Bull until end of 2028
Editor
3 March, 2022
As reported yesterday, Max Verstappen has inked a long-term deal with Red Bull which will see him with the team until the end of 2028 with a hefty $50-million per annum retainer.
Red Bull confirmed today in a statement released today: “After winning his maiden Formula 1 World Championship title in 2021, Max Verstappen has signed a long-term contract extension that will keep the 24-year-old Dutch driver with the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, exclusively, until the end of 2028.”
Speaking about the new five-year deal, Max said: “I really enjoy being part of the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, so choosing to stay to the 2028 season was an easy decision. I love this Team and last year was simply incredible, our goal since we came together in 2016 was to win the championship and we have done that, so now it’s about keeping the number one on the car long-term.”
‘Verstappen Red Bull’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...-new-contract/
FIA approves new circuit protection for fans after catch fence tests
F1
March 3rd 2022
Dramatic videos show a new catch fence design approved by the FIA for F1 use. The FIA has approved a new catch fence designed to protect fans from debris during crashes.
Designed by Swiss company Geobrugg, the new fencing was tested and approved by the sport’s governing body for use at Grade 1 circuits, making it applicable for Formula 1 events.
A video posted by Geobrugg shows a car weighing 1000kg hurtling into the catch fencing at 150kph and the new design catching and withstanding the impact. Debris launched towards fans is minimised and no major pieces are seen flying through the fencing.
‘Catch Fence Protection’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...h-fence-tests#
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Haas aiming to avoid 'gremlins' in Bahrain Pre-Season Test after Barcelona issues.
An issue with the Haas’s Ferrari engine curtailed the team’s Friday running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and meant that the squad – who finished 10th in last year’s constructors’ championship – managed just 160 laps over the three days. For comparison, Ferrari led the distance stakes with 439 laps between their drivers.
03 March 2022
Haas managed just nine laps on their final day of pre-season running and left Spain with the lowest lap total of all 10 teams – leading Team Principal Guenther Steiner to hope there are no “gremlins” troubling the team in Bahrain.
Steiner continued: “About the rest of the test – the first day was a little bit clumsy, I would say, but we learned enough that on the second day we were well prepared. The second day was actually pretty good, we learned a lot; if you think we had three days of testing… really we only managed one. I think we made good progress.”
“Obviously after having had only had about 40 laps [on Day 1] in total for the whole team was, I think, not ideal. To have already more than 50 [on Thursday] is definitely a big support and I think we’re learning with every lap – so I think we’re on a good way,” he said on the second day in Spain.”
‘Haas hoping for no “gremlins”!’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KFKnrYB45.html
AlphaTauri data correlation “better than expected” after wind tunnel change – Tost
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on
4th March 2022, 0:01| Written by Will Wood
AlphaTauri team principal, Franz Tost, said their data from the opening three day test in Barcelona correlated better with their wind tunnel projections than they expected. The AT03 is the first car the team has designed after moving in line with their rivals by switching to a 60% scale tunnel.
The team completed 308 laps over the course of the first three day test in Barcelona last week between drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly, before their final day’s running was cut short by damage sustained by Gasly hitting the tyre barriers.
“To find out how close we are really there, we did a lot of measurements the last days with our racks, as you could see, with the sensors mounted on there,” Tost explained. “Now the engineers are analysing the data and this is then the data basis for correlation with CFD and the wind tunnel. But the information I got is that we, from the beginning onwards, had quite a positive correlation. Of course, now as we have a lot of data from the racetrack, it’s much easier to build up this.”
‘AT03 Better Than Expected’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/03/04/...nd-up-04-03-5/
Gasly says AlphaTauri AT03 felt 'positive straight out of the box' in Barcelona
28 February 2022
Pierre Gasly was buoyed by his AlphaTauri AT03’s performance straight out of the Barcelona pit lane, and despite a small crash on the final day he left Spain buzzing for the Bahrain Official Pre-Season Test.
The Frenchman completed 187 laps over the three-day programme – more than Day 3 leader Lewis Hamilton – while AlphaTauri managed 308 tours of Barcelona in total. Gasly said he'd been “super excited” to try the new breed of F1 car, and it seemed AlphaTauri’s AT03 did not disappoint.
However, his final day was curtailed to just 40 laps thanks to a crash in the morning. “Unfortunately, I locked up my tyres during the morning running and damaged the car, but testing is about finding the limits and we’ve still been able to gather a lot of valuable data over the three days,” he explained.
‘AT03 Felt Positive’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...6JI2QSU7h.html
What to expect from Aston Martin’s new F1 team principal
F1
Lewis Larkam
4 Mar 2022
Mike Krack finally started work as Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team principal this week, having taken over following the departure of Otmar Szafnauer.
The former BMW motorsport boss officially began his new role on Tuesday and will make his first appearance in the F1 paddock for Aston Martin during next week’s second pre-season test at Bahrain.
Speaking to Crash.net and other media in his first interview in his new role, Krack said he aims to utilise all of his management strengths from his wealth of experience gained across various motorsport series including F1, Formula E, and the World Endurance Championship.
‘‘Utilising All Management Strenghts’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/997...team-principal
Editor’s Desk: It’s time Ferrari gave Binotto a hand
Jad Mallak
4 March, 2022
Ferrari arrived at the 2022 Formula 1 preseason testing with the attractive and innovative F1-75, tipped by many to be the class of this year’s grid, but will it be enough for the Scuderia to launch a proper title campaign? Doesn’t their team boss Mattia Binotto need a helping hand?
This brings me on to “Management”, and in particular Ferrari’s team principal Mattia Binotto, the man who has climbed through the ranks of Maranello since joining in 1995 to finally reach the helm, a capable engineer once in charge of the team’s power unit department.
But under his watch as team principal, the team has not advanced, but even struggled, with slow cars, operational errors… You name it. And although the man cannot be blamed for all those problems, as the rot had already set in way before he took charge of the team, he is yet to make an impression to say the least.
‘Helping Hand’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/03...inotto-a-hand/
Leclerc reveals porpoising affected by DRS, admits most teams underestimated it
One of the key themes of the first pre-season test in Barcelona was the "porpoising" issue many teams appeared to experience.
by Rob Kershaw
3 March 20223 March 2022
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has compared the porpoising many teams experienced during testing in Barcelona to “turbulence” in an aircraft, while team-mate Carlos Sainz believes that many in the paddock “underestimated” the issues the new technical regulations might present.
“It feels like turbulence in an airplane going up and down the whole straight,” he said, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“I can’t say it feels good. It makes you a bit sick, but it is okay.”
‘Porpoising underestimated’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/leclerc-r...restimated-it/
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If Ferrari has a rocketship, will Leclerc and Sainz partnership turn sour in F1 title fight?
If the Ferrari really is as good as it looked in the Barcelona running last week – when it appeared to be nip and tuck as quick as Mercedes and Red Bull – then we have a very interesting dynamic to observe between the team’s two drivers.
March 4th 2022
Author Mark Hughes
There was surprise in some quarters when Carlos Sainz was able to walk into Ferrari and in his first season out-score (albeit by a scant half-point) Charles Leclerc. But probably there shouldn’t have been. He’s been super-fast ever since arriving in F1 and even when he found a car – the Renault – in which his favoured driving style didn’t work, he still managed to pull together classy performances, frequently leading or ‘winning’ the ‘best of the rest’ class there in 2018.
Before that, he was comparably quick to Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso. Subsequently he edged a narrow advantage at McLaren over Lando Norris, a driver whose huge potential is now much more widely acknowledged than when Sainz was alongside him.
Leclerc has a devastating turn of speed and melds that incredible gift into a flat-out attacking spirit that sometimes pulls off outrageous feats of qualifying performance. In sessions where a valid comparison could be made, he outqualified Sainz 12 times to 5 last year but the average time difference between them was only around 0.1sec. From that platform, Sainz was able to compete head-to-head in the races. There was no number one and number two.
‘Scuderia Rocketship’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...tle-fight-mph#
Drivers have got a 'mountain to climb' to get on top of 2022 cars, says Vettel
04 March 2022
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel has seen generations come and go in Formula 1, but after his first taste of the new Aston Martin he has pointed out that this new breed of car has an exciting but steep learning curve.
“We did a good amount of laps and there’s still a lot to learn for me,” he said. “The car wants to be driven in a different way, I am playing with driving styles and what I can do. Equally we are playing with the car, we are trying to sort some problems that we have, some of the challenges that we’ve faced, find solutions.”
“So, there is still a lot to do, everybody is flat out and there is still a very, very steep, and high, mountain to climb. I can’t say at the minute we are seeing the peak, but it's fun, I think the challenge is fun and the belief is there that one day we will reach that peak, hopefully just before the season.”
‘Mountain To Climb’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...6d7bANa98.html
‘We have all the ingredients to be successful’ – Aston Martin’s new team boss Mike Krack on his mission to win
Staff writer
Greg Stuart
04 March 2022
Mike Krack was sitting at home feeling under the weather when the discussions began that would ultimately lead to him becoming Aston Martin’s Team Principal, as of March 1 2022.
“At Aston Martin, yes, the pressure is there, but I think you have to turn that into positive pressure. Yes, we want to succeed. We have to succeed, but also, we’ve spent so much time and so much budget, and it's not for being second or participating.
“Obviously, you cannot switch and be… winning from the first day,” he adds. “But at the end of the day, it's a huge challenge but it's also a huge opportunity that we have now. With that brand, the Aston Martin brand, we have all the ingredients that you need to be successful.”
‘Krack Ingredients’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...0CSnycBLT.html
Albon impressed by 'great foundation’ set by Williams ahead of Bahrain test
04 March 2022
Williams kicked of their 2022 Formula 1 season with an impressive few days of running at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. The team from Oxfordshire in the UK completed 347 laps, the fifth-most on the grid, over the three days of testing in Spain, leaving many impressed – including their driver, Alex Albon.
“Honestly, feeling very good, getting good mileage into the car,” said Albon. “It seems like everyone is doing pretty well, everyone is getting good mileage in… The car is feeling very, very good to begin with. I feel like we’ve got a good foundation to start the year on.”
“It’s not different, not very different at all,” said Albon. “All F1 teams operate in a very similar way, it’s more like going to a new workplace or a new school: new faces to learn and new names to remember.”
‘Williams Great Foundation’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KtnYeDnDo.html
Pirelli brimming with positivity for 2022 prospects after Barcelona running
04 March 2022
Pirelli came away from last week's Barcelona track sessions brimming with positivity over their 2022 18-inch tyres, after 10 teams completed a total of more than 3,000 laps using all five of the tyre supplier’s compounds – plus wet and intermediate tyres.
“It was quite positive; comments were in line with what we found last year. Now we have a lot of data to analyse. Teams were focused mostly on C2 and C3 [compounds] because they are focused on the car set-up and balance and to understand how the car behaves, but I believe that we have good information.”
The final day in Barcelona also saw trucks emerge to soak the track for Pirelli’s wet-weather test, giving teams the chance to run blue-banded wet tyres and green-banded intermediates for the opening hours of Friday afternoon. As Isola explained, it wasn’t a simple task – and there was much valuable information to be gained.
‘Pirelli brimming with positivity’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...b590d3nR7.html
PALMER: My verdict on all 10 teams’ pre-season performances so far ahead of Bahrain testing
Special contributor
Jolyon Palmer
04 March 2022
Pre-season running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya gave us our first chance to see all 10 of the new-for-2022 Formula 1 cars out on circuit together. Former Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer was keeping his expert eye on proceedings from trackside.
Here, he gives his verdict on the performance of all 10 teams, as they get set for the Official Pre-Season Test in Bahrain on March 10-12.
‘The Verdict’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...lsMS8RmYC.html
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Red Bull tipped to bring surprises to Bahrain test.
Former Renault F1 driver Jolyon Palmer reckons Red Bull are keeping plenty of tricks up their sleeve ahead of next week's test in Bahrain.
Author Tom Leach
5th March 2022, 07:00
The car featured aggressive new sidepods, with plenty of solutions across the floor, as the team look to claw back as much downforce as they can following major winter regulation changes.
But they are not done yet, according to Palmer, who expects more surprises in Bahrain when testing resumes on 10 March.
Speaking to Formula1.com, Palmer said: "[Red Bull] seem to be in a decent position overall, even if they acknowledge there is plenty more to do with the car. But as yet, I'd say they've maybe kept the most hidden of any teams – so they will be well worth watching in Bahrain."
‘Tricks Up The Sleeve’;
https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-h...f-bahrain-test
Porpoising problems will be gone “in two or three races” – Alfa Romeo
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on
5th March 2022, 0:01 | Written by Hazel Southwell
Jan Monchaux, Alfa Romeo’s technical director, said that despite setting the fewest laps of any team during Barcelona testing, he was confident that the situation could be turned around by the time of the Sakhir test.
“It was [not] a secret that we had some bouncing issues at the beginning,” admitted Monchaux, “and it was true, I think, for everybody. And we had some mechanical issue on the second part of the test.
“We have to to fix it, I think it’s a challenge but I’m quite confident that we’ll be able to do it for next week.”
‘Porpoising will be gone in two or three races’;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/03/05/...nd-up-05-03-5/
Video: Go behind the scenes with Norris and McLaren for Barcelona testing
05/03/2022, 11:05
Author Thomas Maher
Norris gets behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL36, and shares his initial thoughts from driving the new generation F1 car in anger for the first time.
Encouragingly for McLaren fans, a smiling Norris jokes that he's "going to win the championship" after topping the times for the day, after being happy with the new car's handling through the fast sequences of the circuit.
‘Going to win the Championship’;
https://racingnews365.com/video-go-b...celona-testing
Palmer paints a gloomy picture of Aston Martin’s test
Date published: March 4 2022 - Mark Scott
Ex-F1 driver turned pundit and analyst, Jolyon Palmer, was struggling for positives when assessing Aston Martin’s Barcelona test.
The return of the Aston Martin brand to Formula 1 in 2021 did not begin with the most exciting first chapter as the team finished P7 in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of other notable strugglers in the form of Williams, Alfa Romeo and Haas.
“In Barcelona it was tough – from the outside at least – to spot any obvious signs that they’d made much progress towards the front end of the grid,” Palmer said. “The car looked snappy and hard to drive, particularly in the low-speed final sector, and it was also the car I saw porpoise the most on one particular lap, as it was launched almost fully into the air down the start-finish straight.”
‘Aston Martin Gloom’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/jolyon...lona-analysis/
Ranked: The best and worst F1 liveries of 2022
Date published: March 1 2022 - Oliver Harden
The February fashion show in Formula 1 concluded last Sunday as Alfa Romeo became the final team to formally launch their new car for the 2022 season.
With new regulations in place, this year’s breed are generally a good-looking bunch but, as with all things, some teams have done a better job than others.
Here’s how we rank all 10 liveries:
‘Formula 1 Fashion Show’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/20...veries-ranked/
Video: The making of a Formula 1 car launch
Yesterday, 18:00
Author RacingNews365 Staff
AlphaTauri have released a behind-the-scenes video showing how they pulled off their AT03 car launch presentation.
AlphaTauri fused a virtual world with reality for the recent launch of their 2022 F1 car.
Named after Red Bull's clothing brand, AlphaTauri sent the well-dressed Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda out on stage with a host of models, before a digital version of the AT03 appeared and the drivers switched into their race suits.
‘Formula 1 Car Launch’;
https://racingnews365.com/video-the-...a-1-car-launch
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Who are F1's 'happiest team' ahead of Bahrain testing?
Jolyon Palmer says he thinks Ferrari are the happiest team after the first three-day pre-season test session at Barcelona concluded last week.
05/03/2022, 14:15
Author Michael Butterworth
"Ferrari looked hooked up from the word go," Palmer told Formula 1’s official YouTube channel.
"In previous years, when the Ferrari got out of shape, you’d think [the driver] is about to crash, but now they get out of shape and they can still lean on it.”
"Particularly Charles Leclerc, he’s got these slight drifts on the corner exit, so it looks like he’s got confidence in the car. Carlos [Sainz] looks to be a little bit smoother, but is still getting some good pace out of the car.”
‘Happiest Team’;
https://racingnews365.com/jolyon-pal...f-bahrain-test
How ‘brute force aero’ makes 2022 F1 cars easier to drive
Mar 4 2022
By Edd Straw
McLaren technical director James Key believes the “brute force aerodynamics” of the 2022 Formula 1 cars makes them easier to drive.
Key argues that the change to ground-effect cars with simplified top-body aero ultimately makes it possible to achieve a more stable platform.
“We know we’ve got a couple of areas we need to improve on, but overall it’s been maybe even an easier car to drive so far. When you look at the way we are generating downforce, we’ve got massive brute force surfaces, a huge front wing, a massive floor which is very powerful, far less complexity above all that.”
‘McLaren Brute Force Aero’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/how-b...sier-to-drive/
Mercedes expects 'lots of jumping' over which car is quickest
Andrew Lewin05/03/2022 at 13:5305/03/2022 at 12:29
Mercedes are expecting a volatile new season ahead, with the likelihood of big swings in relative performances during the course of the campaign as teams continue to work hard on developing their new cars.
"I suspect that most of the teams will find they're probably still on a strong development slope, and we'll see lots of upgrades as a result of that," commented technical director Mike Elliott in a new video released by the team.
"I think it's going to be really difficult to tell from winter testing who's quickest," he continued. "The cars are so new and so different, I suspect we'll also have the sort of reliability fixes that you need to put in place, and a big chunk of work to put into that as well.”
‘Volatile New Season Ahead’;
https://f1i.com/news/433678-mercedes...ckest-car.html
Alpine encouraged by low-drama bow of new power unit
Andrew Lewin 05/03/2022 at 12:35
The Alpine team is taking a big step with this year's power unit in the new A522 chassis, with Renault switching to the split turbo approach first introduced by Mercedes back in 2014.
Alpine sporting director Alan Permane was happy that the new engine package had gone largely unremarked upon, which he took as a good sign.
“Honestly, we haven't spoken about the power unit – and that's a great thing,": he told the media. "It hasn't even been a talking point really, which is great. “It's so different. It's completely different to anything that Viry have produced before," he continued.
‘New Power Unit, Completely Different!’;
https://f1i.com/news/433657-alpine-e...ower-unit.html
Fernando Alonso’s last stand – how long Alpine star has to carry out El Plan
FERNANDO ALONSO is as popular as ever among F1 fans, who will be thrilled to see the Spaniard has a plan to succeed - El Plan, to be precise.
By DANIEL MOXON
15:17, Sat, Mar 5, 2022
Just what is El Plan? Is it a social media stunt, thoughts up by the brains behind Fernando Alonso's public profile and Alpine's marketing department? Or is it a genuine scheme to give the two-time world champion the chance to add more silverware to his already impressive collection? The answer, most likely, is somewhere in the middle.
EL PLAN: The Spaniard kept bringing it up, and wore T-shirts with the phrase to make sure it didn't slip from anyone's mind. EL PLAN: And it gained most traction when, for free practice ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the letters on Alonso's rear wing were rearranged so that the phrase was there for the whole world to see.
EL PLAN: To clarify, or perhaps to make it even more confusing, he then added: "I think it’s part of ‘El Plan’ that I don’t know exactly what ‘El Plan’ is. You will have to bet. That’s ‘El Plan’…to scare without knowing."
‘EL PLAN’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...l-Plan-F1-news
Albon has already ‘exceeded expectations’ at Williams
Date published: March 5 2022 - Henry Valantine
Williams team principal Jost Capito said he has been “very impressed” with Alex Albon since he joined, to a degree where he has “exceeded expectations” about how well he has gelled with his new team.
“He gives very good information, is very good at evaluating the car. He is calm, has a good feeling for the car and works well with the engineers and the team,” Capito said, quoted by Motorsport-Total.
“I think he has just the right balance of being a nice guy on the one hand, but then also finding the necessary aggressiveness in the car and pushing. He is a fighter. I expected him to fit in really well with the team, but he actually exceeded my expectations there.”
‘Exceeded Expectations’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...ions-williams/
