After months of anticipation, the new Formula 1 season is finally here. And just like last term, the curtain-raiser is set at the Middle East for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen is set for his first-ever Formula 1 title defence after a pulsating finish in Abu Dhabi last season, which puts him in an unfamiliar situation as being the hunted rather than being the hunter.
Lewis Hamilton remains his biggest rival as the seven-time world champion is out for his eighth, while his Mercedes team is also gunning for their ninth straight constructors championship.
In these past few days, all teams and racers have gone through the practice sessions, and soon enough, there will be the qualifying where they’ll jockey for positions.
But before we get into the qualifying, learn more about the latest Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 updates courtesy of SBOTOP.
Are Mercedes sandbagging again?
The Silver Arrows were turning heads during the first few sessions with their sidepod-less design on the W13. However, their latest sessions in Bahrain has drawn bad assessments from both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
They aren’t convinced with the W13’s pace and balance as the car was “bouncing” for the most part when they took it to the circuit.
“We’re really struggling to tap into that at the moment. And everything we try is maybe one step forwards, two steps back, and there’s always a bit of a limitation – so it’s going to take time,” said Russell.
“We’re faced with much, much bigger problems this year and everything we do to try and fix it doesn’t really change that. It appears that it’s probably going to be a more longer term fix,” added Hamilton.
Mercedes has a reputation of sandbagging in the past where they always seem to downplay their performance in the first few sessions, only to blow past everyone when the season starts.
But this time around, it feels that their current struggles are real and Hamilton is hopeful that they can fix it ahead of the qualifying.
“As you can see, we’re not bluffing like before like people assume we were. It is what it is, we’ll work as hard as we can through it and do what we can,” said Hamilton.
Well, they better have a quick turnaround especially since Red Bull are liking their chances following their solid sessions.
The Hulk and the Honey Badger are back, but Seb sits this one out
A new season may mean a new start, but we’re going to see some old faces back at the paddock.
Nico Hulkenberg is back to replace his compatriot Sebastian Vettel for Aston Martin in the season opener due to a positive COVID-19 test to mark his first Formula 1 race since the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix when he replaced Lance Stroll. This will also be the first time in 15 years that Vettel sits out a Formula 1 race.
This also means that The Hulk will get to see an old friend in Kevin Magnussen, who also made his return for Haas.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo is set for a return as he’s now fully recovered from COVID-19. The Australian missed key events, including their preseason photoshoot where his teammate Lando Norris was the only one standing and posing for McLaren.
Ricciardo will certainly need as many laps as possible in the car to prepare himself for Sunday’s race, although he got some prior sessions with the MCL36 in Barcelona where looked comfortable.
History
There have been five different drivers who have won pole at Bahrain in the last five years, but only two have won it in those five instances.
Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Sebastian Vettel, and Valtteri Bottas have taken turns at pole, but it was Hamilton who is the winner from 2019 to 2021 while Sebastian Vettel won it with Ferrari from 2017 to 2018.
Mercedes have also been the dominant team at Bahrain in the last five years with nine podiums, while Ferrari and Red Bull have three each.
Lewis Hamilton owns the most victories at this track with five while Sebastian Vettel has four and Fernando Alonso has three.
What are the odds?
Just like last year, Max Verstappen is the favourite to win on Sunday. The defending Formula 1 champion is priced at 1.55 while his rival Lewis Hamilton is priced at 1.97 by the Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 odds. The final podium is free for all, with Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Pierre Gasly being the favourites at 2.36, 2.72, and 3.08 following their outstanding practice sessions.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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