After the dispute of the first three test sessions of Formula 1 2022 , held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, we have compiled the best times of each driver and we have ordered how a hypothetical grid formed with these tests would look like.
Before you see it, we have to clarify that this article is not the absolute truth, nor does it intend anything more than to do a curious exercise of imagination. As everyone knows, in the tests the number of laps really matters more than the times, since the objective is to accumulate as much mileage as possible to better understand the new car.
And keeping that in mind…
This would be the Formula 1 2022 grid with the times of the Barcelona tests
| Position | Pilot | Equipment | Weather | Tire** | Session* |
| 1st | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:19,138 | C5 | Friday PM |
| 2nd | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19,233 | C5 | Friday AM |
| 3rd | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:19,556 | C4 | Friday PM |
| 4º | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1: 19.568 | 4 | Wednesday PM |
| 5th | charles leclerc | ferrari | 1:19,689 | C3 | Thursday PM |
| 6º | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:19.756 | C3 | Viernes PM |
| 7th | Sebastian Vettel | Aston-Martin | 1:19,824 | C5 | Friday AM |
| 8º | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:19.918 | C4 | Viernes PM |
|
9th |
Carlos Sainz | ferrari | 1:20,072 | C3 | Friday PM |
|
10th |
Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:20,288 | C4 | Thursday PM |
|
11º |
Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:20.318 | C4 | Viernes PM |
|
12º |
Nikita Mazepin | Haas | 1:21.512 | C3 | Jueves PM |
|
13º |
Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:21.638 | C3 | Wednesday AM |
|
14º |
Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:21.699 | C4 | Viernes AM |
|
15th |
Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
1:21,746 |
C2 | Friday AM |
|
16º |
Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:21.885 | C3 | Jueves PM |
|
17º |
Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:21.920 | C3 | Jueves AM |
|
18º |
Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:21.949 | C3 | Jueves AM |
|
19º |
Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:22.164 | C3 | Jueves PM |
|
20º |
Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.288 | C3 | Jueves PM |
|
21st |
Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo | 1:25,909 | C3 | Wednesday AM |
*AM = morning session; PM = afternoon session
**C1 tires are the hardest, C2 the hard, C3 medium, C4 soft and 5 ultra soft
The grid in images (from the last to the first position)
At first glance, the grid would have a similar image to the 2021 season, with the two drivers ( Hamilton ahead) from Mercedes and then Checo Pérez . And behind, mixed, a Ferrari and a McLaren. However, to resemble last year’s team, the champion, Verstappen , would be missing in first place, and not in sixth place.
But as we said, it is an artificial reading, and that is why we wanted to clarify the tires that each driver used in his fastest lap and in which session he achieved it, since on the first day of the new generation of cars there was logically less understanding than the third.
For example, Verstappen did not use the C4 (soft) tires that Pérez or Norris did mount on his Red Bull, and much less used the ultrasoft (C5), which gave the first two positions to the Mercedes or seventh, less than one tenth of the Netherlands, to Vettel .
Therefore, it must be clarified that Verstappen finished six tenths from Hamilton and five from Russell with a compound two steps harder. It also highlights that Ferrari, as the favorite teams did before, did not go beyond the middle, perhaps hiding their cards, and even so Leclerc could be fifth and Sainz , ninth.
If only the times would serve, it would not be good news for Alpine, who occupy the penultimate position with Ocon and 15th with Alonso, although the Asturian is the only one who made his best time with hard tires (C2). But even in the Alpine data, it must be remembered that after Alonso suffered an engine failure on Friday morning after only 11 laps, his French teammate did not ride on the last day, nor did the 18th ( Mick Schumacher ) and the 17th ( Stroll ), also due to a breakdown of his teammates in the morning.
Anecdotally, the Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou was the fastest Williams, and the last of the starting drivers was Bottas , only ahead of his Alfa Romeo team’s reserve driver, Kubica , who could only do 9 laps on the first day due to problems reliability of your team.
The fastest times from each F1 2022 Barcelona test session
Wednesday Results – Day 1
| Pilot | Equipment | Time (tyre) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 1’19″568 |
|
| 2 | Ferrari | 1’20″165 |
|
| 3 | ferrari | 1’20″416 |
|
| 4 | Mercedes | 1’20″784 |
|
| 5 | Mercedes | 1’20″929 |
|
| 6 | Aston Martin | 1’21″276 |
|
| 7 | AlphaTauri | 1’21 “638 |
|
| 8 | Alpine | 1’21″746 |
|
| 9 | Red Bull | 1’22″246 |
|
| 10 | Alfa Romeo | 1’22″572 |
|
| 11 | williams | 1’22″760 |
|
| 12 | Haas | 1’22″962 |
|
| 13 | Aston Martin | 1’23″327 |
|
| 14 | Williams | 1’23″379 |
|
| 15 | Haas | 1’24″505 |
|
| 16 | Alfa Romeo | 1’25″909 |
Thursday Results – Day 2
| Pilot | Equipment | Time (tyre) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 1’19″689 |
|
| 2 | AlphaTauri | 1’19 “918 |
|
| 3 | McLaren | 1’20″288 |
|
| 4 | Mercedes | 1’20″537 |
|
| 5 | Ferrari | 1’20″546 |
|
| 6 | Aston Martin | 1’20″784 |
|
| 7 | Red Bull | 1’21″430 |
|
| 8 | Haas | 1’21″512 |
|
| 9 | williams | 1’21″531 |
|
| 10 | Alfa Romeo | 1’21″885 |
|
| 11 | Williams | 1’21″894 |
|
| 12 | Aston Martin | 1’21″920 |
|
| 13 | Haas | 1’21″949 |
|
| 14 | Alpine | 1’22″164 |
|
| 15 | Alfa Romeo | 1’22″288 |
|
| 16 | Mercedes | 1’22″562 |
Friday Results – Day 3
| Pilot | Equipment | Time (tyre) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 1’19″138 |
|
| 2 | Mercedes | 1’19″233 |
|
| 3 | Red Bull | 1’19″556 |
|
| 4 | Red Bull | 1’19″756 |
|
| 5 | Aston Martin | 1’19″824 |
|
| 6 |
|
Ferrari | 1’19″831 |
| 7 |
|
Ferrari | 1’20″072 |
| 8 | williams | 1’20″318 |
|
| 9 | Williams | 1’20″699 |
|
| 10 | McLaren | 1’20″790 |
|
| 11 | McLaren | 1’20″827 |
|
| 12 |
|
Alpine | 1’21″242 |
| 13 |
|
Alfa Romeo | 1’21″939 |
| 14 | AlphaTauri | 1’22 “469 |
|
| 15 |
|
Haas | 1’26″229 |
| 16 | Alfa Romeo | 1’30″433 |




