Formula One 2022: Here’s how the midfield teams stack up ahead of Bahrain GP
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The 2022 season of F1 is about to begin and the competition is hyping up exponentially since the Bahrain round of pre-season testing. Teams went onto the track with their upgrades, testing out the potential boosts to their machines and trying to find what suits their drivers the most.
The testing in Bahrain, like the testing in Barcelona, saw three different timesheet toppers. In Barcelona, we had drivers from the top teams, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton, as the time toppers. However, in Bahrain, we had two surprise drivers coming out on top, not from the top of the grid, but from the midfield. We saw AlfaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ new signing Kevin Magnussen topping the charts on days 1 and 2 respectively, and making a statement of intent on their team’s behalf.
And one could argue that the big team, i.e., Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren, haven’t tested at their maximum yet, but it could be true for the other teams as well. With most of the teams looking sharp in the testing, it’s hard to predict how the final versions of their cars would perform this weekend. Here we try to see how the other teams can perform, considering their performances in the Bahrain testing.
Alpine
The alpine team looked promising in its runs in Bahrain. After disappointing testing in Barcelona, the team made a strong comeback and got near the top of the timesheet. The team finally got a functioning DRS wing and is set for more upgrades before the season begins in Bahrain. Fernando Alonso, as the team believes, looked strong and fast on the straights, nearly matching Max Verstappen’s time in the RB18. The team may find more than a couple of podiums this season if they find the consistency.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda ran wild in Bahrain. The team still sporting the Honda Power Unit seems to have a good pace at the beginning, something that they might be carrying from the end of the last season. They can surely trouble the teams and make a move to finish as high as P4 in the constructors’ championship.
Aston Martin
Entering its second year in F1 as the Aston Martin, the team looked sharp with its AMR22. The drivers didn’t face any major issue with the car and it seems it did fare off well against the Alpine, as we saw when Lance Stroll went up against Fernando Alonso in the testing itself. The drivers are confident and with the massive investments being made into the company, they can surely find themselves in a better position than earlier.
Alfa Romeo
The Italian team finally had found their mojo in Bahrain after completing the second least number of laps in Barcelona. The development of their car seems to have been the fastest in the break between the testings. However, the pace still seems to be an issue for the team, but with Valtteri Bottas’ experience, they have a chance at finishing than what they did the last season.
Haas
Haas F1 Team came out on days 2 and 3 on the tracks in Bahrain and went riots. Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher are looking serious to gather some points for the team after the team’s nearly entirely focused development of the 2022 car, the VF-22. They found as much pace as McLaren’s when running at best and looked stable enough in the second round.
Williams
Things aren’t looking too good for the people at Williams. The team couldn’t work out on pace and neither the consistency. Both the drivers will have a lot to fight with if the team doesn’t come up with something miraculous in the day’s time.
ALSO READ: Bahrain GP 2022: Three drivers who can win the first race of F1’s new era
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