The first test of the 2022 season live!

times

Unfortunately, it looks like we won’t be able to offer automatic live timing today. I apologize! We will of course try to compensate for this as much as possible with regular updates. The time watcher currently looks like this:

1. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – 1: 22.692 (C3)
2. Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1: 23.038 (C2)
3. Alonso (Alpine) – 1: 23.317 (C3)
IV Vettel (Aston Martin) – 1: 25.007 (C3)
5. Russell (Mercedes) – 1: 25.548 (C3)
6. Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:35.600 (C4)

Red Bull doesn’t show anything else

Since then, The Bulls have posted their first official photo of the RB18 themselves on Twitter. Maybe a darker picture could not be found 😉 Almost nothing can be seen, but that is of course intended. You don’t want to show any other details about the new car. Unfortunately for Red Bull many other photographers are at the start of testing as well!

Speaking of Red Bull, Verstappen briefly took the lead with 1:23.5 on the tougher C2 tyres. Tsunoda blocked with a 1:23.4.

test design

Not surprisingly, Alfa Romeo is working today (and in the coming days) with the test design that was used in the Fiorano shakedown. As is known, real paint will be served only on Sundays. All other teams use their normal layout. Meanwhile, the Tsunoda is P1 with 1:23.9 on C3 tires.

Also Lewis Hamilton…

…very interested in the new Red Bull! He just got off the Red Bull garage inconspicuously. He has plenty of time, he will only take charge of W13 in the afternoon. Incidentally, except for Haas, all teams have now been on the track at least once.

The first meters of Formula 1 2022…

…at least now in this little video. Let’s see how many extracts of this type we get during the day.

times

Our technicians are still working on live timing. That’s why the first info is now available manually: Russell is currently leading with 1:25.9, driven by C3 frames. For comparison: in 2021 the starting time in Barcelona was 1:16.7. So, as previously announced, it will be some time before we see really fast laps here.

By the way, it is currently still cold in Barcelona with temperatures below ten degrees. But it will be hot at the latest in Bahrain Test in March!

Red Bull nose

And just another look at the nose. Compared to sidepods, they look almost “boring,” at least from the outside.

Exciting side boxes

The sidepods are what really catches our eye on the Red Bull. No wonder they kept this secret about the RB18. We have not seen this solution anywhere else in the field, even if of course there are some other exciting variants – for example in Ferrari. But which solution is the fastest in the end…?

The real Red Bull

The cops kept a big secret about their new car and only showed off a show car at launch. There were also no official photos of the disengagement. Now the game of hide and seek is over! Here are some shots of the real RB18:

here we are!

The test is taking place officially, and among other things, the Mercedes is moving with large gauge grilles. For teams, the first thing is to collect as much data as possible with new cars. Among the most important questions: is the relationship between the track and the simulator or the wind tunnel appropriate?

The teams already know from their racketeering that the cars basically work. However, given the times, one should not expect much at first. There won’t be any really fast laps today. At least we don’t expect that yet. Reliability and data collection are essential.

Who is driving today?

In the meantime, we also have an overview of all the pilots who will be in command today:

Mercedes: Russell / Hamilton
Red Bull: Verstappen
Ferrari: Leclerc / Sainz
McLaren: Norris
Alps: Alonso
AlphaTauri: Tsunoda
Aston Martin: Vettel / Stroll
Williams: Latifi / Albon
Alfa Romeo: Kubica / Bottas
Haas: Maspen / Schumacher

So from the regular drivers we only miss Perez, Ricciardo, Ocon, Gasly and Cho.

Why only one car per team?

Again, this is a common question we get every year. Simple explanation: Because that’s what the rules say. Even if teams have already fully assembled two cars, they are only allowed to use one of them. Regulations don’t allow for more and nothing will change in 2022.

But you are not restricted in the use of the parts. Motors, for example, do not count towards the units available for the season. In theory, the team should be able to drive with a new power unit every day. The same applies to the gearbox, for example.

The only limit is the tires. Each team has 30 sentences available for three days. That’s an average of ten a day.

Renault’s new engine

Of course, all manufacturers have revised their engines again for 2022. However, Renault is undergoing a major change this year, adopting the turbo split concept once introduced by Mercedes. Of course, such a major change is not without risks. So we will take a look at the reliability of the Alps in particular!

By the way: Fernando Alonso will be at the wheel at Alpine today. It was just announced. Ocon gets on Thursday, Friday, then both share the A522.

Live broadcast

We can’t give you live photos, but of course Kevin Schoren and editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervall will be showing the test drives live every evening as usual. Formel1.de YouTube channel summarize for you. Today report two Plus even at noon With first impressions! It starts at 12:30 pm.