Formula 1 teams and drivers had come out of the Barcelona test hoping that if they could fix the porpoising, the new 2022 cars would be pretty fun beasts running on the limit.
The new ground effect aerodynamics worked well at speed, the tires seemed to handle well and although the extra weight made the cars quite cumbersome, there was nothing to be too alarmed about.
But last week’s Bahrain testing has caused a bit of a rethink, as the three days of on-track action made it far more difficult for all the drivers. The lack of grip, concern over potholes and inherent understeer made it that much harder.
In fact, while there were very few mistakes and run-offs at Circuit de Barcelona, it was impossible to keep track of the number of drivers in Bahrain who locked up and went long on the tricky downhill left-hand turn 10 . That will be a point to watch this weekend.
As Lewis Hamilton stated on the final day of pre-season testing: “I think the 2022 car rules have caused everyone to skid. We all seem to have less grip than before, and the tires are worse this year.”
What we don’t know yet is whether what we saw at the Bahrain International Circuit will be a regular occurrence or just an outlier. However, it is fair to say that there were many factors at play at Sakhir that have exposed potential weaknesses in the 2022 F1s.
Higher temperatures in the Middle East , gusty wind conditions, more abrasive track surface and low speed cornering characteristics all added together to create a greater challenge.
As Carlos Sainz said: “I think the tarmac is much older, rougher, so immediately the car has less grip in general, which I think is normal here in Bahrain.”
“We always have the same delta on a circuit where it’s nice to ride, the one in Barcelona, but you get to Bahrain and everything is a bit more complicated because the grip is lower.
“If, on top of that, you add the fact that there are a lot more bumps, and we know that these cars run stiffer in general, then probably the limitations are a bit more exposed. I guess that’s why you see people making some mistakes. extra, some crashes, some fixes”.
“Then on top of that, add the wind. These cars still feel relatively sensitive to the wind, because they still produce a lot of downforce, so that adds another variable. That means the car will continue to be even more complicated.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW44, stops after a fire
One theory that began to emerge at the Barcelona test, and seems to hold true after Bahrain, is that there may not be a single answer to how F1 2022 cars behave track-by-track.
Since single-seaters are better at high-speed corners than low-speed ones, it’s quite possible that on faster circuits they’ll be a lot more fun to drive than on slower venues.
As Fernando Alonso said: “We said in Barcelona that it seemed that high speed riding was quite good with this new regulation. And Bahrain is all low speed corners. So maybe it shows a little bit the weaknesses of these rules, plus the weight, etc”.
“This could be one of the races that is significantly slower than last year, and others will be even lap times. But it’s the same for everyone.”
In the meantime, however, the way the F1 cars are behaving in Bahrain means we could be in for a pretty rough start to the season, especially when it comes to going a race distance while dodging trouble.
The understeer characteristic of the 2022 cars and heavier tyres, coupled with the added challenge of less downforce in low-speed corners, has increased tire lockups under braking.
It was something Alpine sporting director Alan Permane admitted all teams will need to overcome before Sunday’s race.
“One of the problems we’ve had with this car, and I think it seems to happen to everyone, is a bit of front wheel lockup,” he explained.
“That’s one of the areas we’ve been trying to fine-tune to reduce it without just sort of a rear [brake balance] spin bias, because if you don’t you end up with a lot of rear lockout.”
“We’ve been playing with different settings, and some things have made it better, but some things have made it worse.”
“Because that’s something that can quickly ruin a race for you. If you get a flat tire, you can ruin the stint.”
George Russell, Mercedes W13, bloquea
The other big question is how much harder drivers’ lives will be physically complicated by choosing stiffer car setups, especially as a race is all about pushing hard for two hours.
Teams are going to have to balance what is best for maximum theoretical performance and what is best for keeping their drivers happy.
As Sebastian Vettel analyzed: “We need to find the right compromise. First, I think we’ve all been suffering from similar problems. You know, the rules led to the cars being much stiffer. The tires are different, they absorb less because of the smaller sidewall. and rigid, it’s a different philosophy. So it feels very different.”
“I think it will be about managing, trying to find the right setup, getting into qualifying and then the race. Hopefully we find the right compromise.”
But even if Formula 1 is more difficult for the drivers, understeer like crazy in low speed corners, there are lockups and wild moments off the track, it must be remembered that the bosses of the series had not set themselves the goal of making cars easy to drive.
For 2022, it was all about making cars that produced better races, and that is something we will only find out on Sunday at the Bahrain GP.
The four-time Aston Martin Racing champion added: “The big hope is that we will race each other every weekend and it will be much closer than in the past.”
“I think that would make up for the cars being a bit nasty when it comes to stiffness levels, or the tires failing, or the cars in general being very, very heavy. So we’ll see.”
