2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
2022 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||
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Race 1 of 22[a] in the 2022 Formula One World Championship
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Race details | ||||
Date | 20 March 2022 | |||
Official name | Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 | |||
Location |
Bahrain International Circuit Sakhir, Bahrain | |||
Course | Permanent racing facility | |||
Course length | 5.412 km (3.363 miles) | |||
Distance | 57 laps, 308.238 km (191.530 miles) | |||
Weather | Clear | |||
Attendance | 98,000[3] | |||
Pole position | ||||
Driver | Ferrari | |||
Time | 1:30.558 | |||
Fastest lap | ||||
Driver |
![]() | Ferrari | ||
Time | 1:34.570 on lap 51 | |||
Podium | ||||
First | Ferrari | |||
Second | Ferrari | |||
Third | Mercedes | |||
Lap leaders |
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One race that was held on 20 March 2022 at the Bahrain International Circuit. Contested over 57 laps, it served as the season opener of the 2022 Formula One World Championship and was the eighteenth running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.[4]
Charles Leclerc won the race after starting from pole position, his first win since the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.[5] He led all but two laps and scored a hat-trick with pole, race win, and fastest lap, falling just short of a grand slam.[b] Teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished in second with Lewis Hamilton in third, as reigning champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez both retired from podium positions with fuel problems late in the race.[7] It was Ferrari's first win and 1–2 finish since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.[8] The race also saw the debut of Zhou Guanyu, who became the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One and the first to score points.
Background
[edit]2021 season
[edit]The 2021 Formula One World Championship saw Red Bull driver Max Verstappen win his first Drivers' Championship, following a season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton. The championship changed hands multiple times throughout the year, and was controversially decided at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the season, where a final-lap restart enabled Verstappen to overtake Hamilton to win the race and become champion.[9]
By winning the championship, Verstappen denied Hamilton a record-breaking eighth title and made himself first driver other than Hamilton to win the Drivers' Championship since Nico Rosberg in 2016, and the first non-Mercedes driver to win the championship since Sebastian Vettel in 2013, who also won it with Red Bull.[10]
Mercedes won a record-extending eighth Constructors' Championship, securing the title by 28 points at the final race of the season.[11] It marked the first season in which the champion driver did not drive for the champion constructors since 2008, when Lewis Hamilton narrowly won his first Drivers' Championship, also through a last-lap overtake at the final race of the season.[12]
Driver changes
[edit]Valtteri Bottas left Mercedes after five seasons, moving to Alfa Romeo to replace Kimi Räikkönen, who retired following the 2021 season.[13][14] George Russell replaced Bottas, vacating his seat at Williams, which was filled by former Red Bull driver Alex Albon.[15] Antonio Giovinazzi also departed Alfa Romeo at the end of 2021, with Zhou Guanyu taking his seat after a third place finish in the 2021 Formula 2 Championship. Zhou became the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula One, and the first Chinese driver to score points.[16]
Nikita Mazepin was originally contracted to drive for Haas for the 2022 season, but had his contract terminated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which also saw Haas cancel their title sponsorship deal with Uralkali.[17] Mazepin was replaced by Kevin Magnussen, who had previously competed with the team from 2017 to 2020.[18]
Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel tested positive for coronavirus and was replaced by reserve driver Nico Hülkenberg.[19][20] This was Hülkenberg's first race since his one-off appearance at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix.[21] Vettel returned for the Australian Grand Prix.[22]
Tyre choices
[edit]Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event.[23] This was a step harder than 2021 where the C2, C3 and C4 tyres were used. This race was also the first race where the 18-inch tyres were used as the 2022 regulations began.
Report
[edit]Practice
[edit]Three hour-long practice sessions were held at the Grand Prix, with two on Friday and one on Saturday before qualifying. The first session started at 15:00 local time (UTC+03:00), and was red flagged when Esteban Ocon's Alpine shed its sidepod bodywork on the main straight. After a restart, the session ended with Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri fastest, on soft tyres.[24]
Max Verstappen topped the second and third sessions, with Charles Leclerc narrowly behind in both outings. Reigning Constructors' Champions Mercedes struggled for pace throughout the free practices and placed no higher than fourth on the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton describing the team as being "a long way off" from the front of the grid.[25][26] Yuki Tsunoda did not set a time in the third session, being forced to return to the garage with a hydraulic leak before he could complete a lap.[27]
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying started at 18:00 local time on 19 March and lasted for one hour.[4] Both Aston Martins were eliminated in Q1, along with Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Nicholas Latifi. The session also saw Valtteri Bottas unexpectedly place his Alfa Romeo in fourth position, with Kevin Magnussen of Haas one place behind him. Fellow Haas driver Mick Schumacher placed 13th, which gave the team their first Q2 appearance with both cars since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.[28] In his first qualifying outing for Williams, Alex Albon sent his Williams 15th fastest, completing a lap time almost a second faster than that of his teammate, Nicholas Latifi.[29]
In Q2, Verstappen was quickest, closely followed by the two Ferraris. Sergio Perez was behind them, ahead of the Mercedes drivers in fifth and sixth. Before he was forced back to the garage with a hydraulic issue, Magnussen managed to place seventh, securing his team's first Q3 appearance in over two years. A late lap from Bottas saw him knock Esteban Ocon out of Q3 by just 0.065 seconds. McLaren and Williams both failed to make Q3, with Lando Norris and Alex Albon being eliminated at the end of the session.[30]
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won pole position, ahead of Verstappen and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.[31][32] Mercedes could only manage fifth and ninth place, with their two cars split by Bottas, Magnussen, and Fernando Alonso. AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.[30][33]
Race
[edit]The race started at 18:00 local time on 20 March and lasted for 57 laps.[4] Leclerc led through turn 1, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz, while Pérez was passed by Hamilton and Magnussen. Bottas, who started sixth, fell to 14th within the first lap. Ocon collided with and spun Schumacher on the first lap, earning a five-second penalty. By lap 10, Pérez had passed Magnussen and Hamilton to regain fourth position.[34]
Hamilton entered the pit lane on lap 9, the first driver of the race to do so, and re-entered the race 12th. Verstappen pitted on lap 15 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc, with Sainz following him into the pit lane. Leclerc pitted a lap later, emerging narrowly ahead of Verstappen and retaining his lead. Verstappen passed Leclerc on lap 17 using DRS, but Leclerc regained the lead soon after. On lap 19, Verstappen attempted to pass again, but locked up and overshot turn 1, allowing Leclerc to build a lead.[35]
On lap 31, Verstappen pitted a second time, again followed by Leclerc a lap later, with both cars switching to medium tyres. Sainz, now leading, pitted alongside Pérez on lap 34, which left Leclerc and Verstappen in first and second position, respectively. Verstappen entered the pit lane for a third time on lap 44, prompting Sainz and Hamilton to do the same; all three emerged on soft tyres. On lap 46, Gasly's car caught fire, which caused the safety car to be deployed. Leclerc pitted for soft tyres during the safety car window, returning to the field in the lead.[34][36]
When the race restarted on lap 51, Leclerc maintained his lead over Verstappen, who radioed the pit crew to notify them he suspected he had a power unit issue. Verstappen, now moving slowly, was passed by Sainz and Hamilton, and he entered the pit lane to retire his car on lap 54. On the final lap, Pérez suffered a fuel system issue which caused his power unit to switch off, causing him to spin his car and retire. Leclerc and Sainz maintained first and second position, followed by Hamilton in third, through to the end of the race.[36] Russell finished fourth with Magnussen in fifth.[34]
Classification
[edit]Qualifying
[edit]Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
1 | 16 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:31.471 | 1:30.932 | 1:30.558 | 1 |
2 | 1 | ![]() |
Red Bull Racing-RBPT | 1:31.785 | 1:30.757 | 1:30.681 | 2 |
3 | 55 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:31.567 | 1:30.787 | 1:30.687 | 3 |
4 | 11 | ![]() |
Red Bull Racing-RBPT | 1:32.311 | 1:31.008 | 1:30.921 | 4 |
5 | 44 | ![]() |
Mercedes | 1:32.285 | 1:31.048 | 1:31.238 | 5 |
6 | 77 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:31.919 | 1:31.717 | 1:31.560 | 6 |
7 | 20 | ![]() |
Haas-Ferrari | 1:31.955 | 1:31.461 | 1:31.808 | 7 |
8 | 14 | ![]() |
Alpine-Renault | 1:32.346 | 1:31.621 | 1:32.195 | 8 |
9 | 63 | ![]() |
Mercedes | 1:32.269 | 1:31.252 | 1:32.216 | 9 |
10 | 10 | ![]() |
AlphaTauri-RBPT | 1:32.096 | 1:31.635 | 1:32.338 | 10 |
11 | 31 | ![]() |
Alpine-Renault | 1:32.041 | 1:31.782 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 47 | ![]() |
Haas-Ferrari | 1:32.380 | 1:31.998 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 4 | ![]() |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:32.239 | 1:32.008 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 23 | ![]() |
Williams-Mercedes | 1:32.726 | 1:32.664 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 24 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:32.493 | 1:33.543 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 22 | ![]() |
AlphaTauri-RBPT | 1:32.750 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 27 | ![]() |
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:32.777 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 3 | ![]() |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:32.945 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 18 | ![]() |
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:33.032 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
20 | 6 | ![]() |
Williams-Mercedes | 1:33.634 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
107% time: 1:37.873 | |||||||
Source:[29][37] |
Race
[edit]Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.[39]
- ^2 – Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.[38]
Championship standings after the race
[edit]
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ There were originally twenty-three Grands Prix scheduled to feature on the 2022 calendar, however following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the Russian Grand Prix was cancelled. At the time of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula One planned to replace the cancelled race; however, this ultimately did not take place and only twenty-two races were held.[1][2]
- ^ As a team, Ferrari achieved the grand slam as Charles Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. was the only other driver to lead a lap. It was Ferrari's first team grand slam since the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "Formula 1 to race at 22 Grands Prix in 2022". Formula One. 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Record Attendance at Sold Out 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix". f1destinations.com. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 – Full Schedule". Formula 1. 6 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Pugmire, Jerome (20 March 2022). "Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 to open Formula 1 season in Bahrain, Verstappen retires late". CBC. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Statistics Constructors – Grands Prix – Grand slam – Ferrari". StatsF1.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Richards, Gill (20 March 2022). "Charles Leclerc wins dramatic Bahrain F1 GP as Ferrari bring home one-two". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Cobb, Haydyn (20 March 2022). "Leclerc hails Ferrari F1 turnaround after two 'difficult' years". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (12 December 2021). "Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: 'Max Verstappen's win decided by a questionable call'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Diepraam, Mattijs (7 October 2023). "World Champions". 8W. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Holding, Joe (24 October 2022). "Most successful F1 teams: Which team has the most constructors' titles?". Autosport. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Hamilton claims title glory in remarkable finish". The Guardian. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (6 September 2021). "Valtteri Bottas to drive for Alfa Romeo F1 team in 2022". Autosport. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Galloway, James (2 September 2021). "Kimi Raikkonen announces Formula 1 retirement at end of 2021 season, saying 'it is time for new things'". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Morlidge, Matt (7 September 2021). "George Russell signs for Mercedes: British driver to join Lewis Hamilton for 2022 Formula 1 season". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Richards, Giles (16 November 2021). "Zhou Guanyu confirmed as F1's first Chinese driver in Alfa Romeo deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Haas part ways with Nikita Mazepin 'with immediate effect'". Formula One. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Holding, Joe (9 March 2022). "Surprise! Haas re-signs Kevin Magnussen for 2022". Top Gear. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "2022 Bahrain Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). FIA. 18 March 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Bahrain Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel ruled out after positive Covid-19 test". BBC. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "China's first F1 driver Zhou celebrates debut". ESPN.com. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Laurence, Edmondson (31 March 2022). "Aston Martin confirms Sebastian Vettel will return in Australia". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?". Formula 1. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Barretto, Lawrence (18 March 2022). "5 things we learned from Friday practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 - Practice 2". Formula One. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix - Practice 3". Formula One. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "2022 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3 report and highlights: Max Verstappen sets ominous pace in final practice session in Bahrain | Formula 1". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ "First Haas Q3 appearance since 2019 'all we could have hoped for' says Magnussen after F1 return". Formula 1. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Leclerc takes stunning Bahrain pole for Ferrari ahead of Verstappen and Sainz". Formula One. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Sean (19 March 2022). "Facts and Stats: Haas make first Q3 appearance since 2019, as Leclerc claims second Bahrain pole". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "'I knew it was a matter of time' says Leclerc after opening 2022 with pole position". Formula 1. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ Morlidge, Matt (20 March 2022). "Bahrain GP Qualifying: Charles Leclerc beats Max Verstappen for first F1 2022 pole as Mercedes struggle". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Leclerc leads 1–2 for Ferrari in Bahrain GP as both Red Bulls suffer late retirements". Formula 1. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ Cobb, Haydn; Kalinauckas, Alex (20 March 2022). "Leclerc explains F1 tactics for beating Verstappen in Bahrain GP battles". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b Kalinauckas, Alex (20 March 2022). "Bahrain GP: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2; Red Bull implodes". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 – Race Result". Formula 1. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Bahrain 2022 – Championship". Stats F1. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.