F1 Preview | Will it be between Verstappen and Leclerc in Bahrain?

The Formula 1 season really starts this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix. The winter tests gave an indication of where all the teams stand, but on Sunday the first points will be distributed and we will see if Max Verstappen has a chance to defend his title against Lewis Hamilton and possibly more. Read everything you need to know ahead of the first GP of 2022 in this preview from GPblog.

GP in Bahrain

Formula One has been coming to Bahrain since 2004, when it hosted the first Formula One race in the Middle East. The race, which in the beginning was held during the day, has become an evening race since 2014. In 2014, something special was done for the anniversary edition with an evening race, but it worked so well that daytime racing was never held in Bahrain again.

The race was held annually from 2004 until the current season. Only in 2011 did the F1 circus not visit Bahrain because there were protests in the country. Since then, many have also questioned whether racing should take place in a country where human rights are not as well respected as in the West, but the race was still organised annually.

With Lewis Hamilton, the record winner of the Bahrain GP will again be at the start in 2022. Hamilton has already won five times, once more than Sebastian Vettel and twice more than Fernando Alonso. Hamilton also won the last three editions of the GP in Bahrain.

There was even a first for Bahrain in 2020, as it was then called upon twice for a race. In addition to the Bahrain GP, there was also a Sakhir Grand Prix, which was raced at the same venue but on a different circuit layout. For this, the outter track was used.

Bahrain International Circuit

Except for the Sakhir GP, every race in Bahrain was held at the Bahrain International Circuit. Construction of the circuit began in 2002, and in 2004 it was completed and put into use for the first time. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, who pulled one of his best creations out of the hat in the desert. An alternative, slightly longer track was used for one year in 2010.

In fact, the Bahrain International Circuit has everything an F1 circuit needs. There are long straights to overtake, hard braking zones to outbrake a competitor, but also fast and slow corner sections. Especially turn ten stands out on this circuit.

2021 Grand Prix

In 2021, the Bahrain Grand Prix was also the start of the season and then gave a clear indication for the rest of the season. Indeed, Hamilton and Verstappen fought for the win in the desert. Verstappen was then clearly the fastest in qualifying and the race, but a clever strategy by Mercedes and an off-track overtaking by Verstappen gave victory to the Briton.

Formula 1 in 2022

While it is always difficult to make a prediction based on the winter test, the leading group did come into clear view. Ferrari was the most consistent team, managing to make a lot of metres from day one, being reliable, being good on the road and also setting fast times. The team also seemed to have solved the problems with porpoising quickly.

Red Bull Racing was not as stable from day one as its Italian rival, but on the final day Sergio Perez and Verstappen briefly showed what the RB18 is made of. The car proved fast, was suddenly cast on the track and didn't seem to bounce either. Helmut Marko's smile then said everything about the mood within the team.

You should never discount Mercedes after eight constructors' titles, but based on the winter test they themselves, and also the competitors, state that Mercedes are starting this year with a backlog. However, we have heard this before after which Hamilton still managed to set the fastest time on Saturday, so don't be surprised if that happens again this weekend.

Weather forecast

As far as the weather forecast is concerned, we should not expect anything crazy from the Bahrain Grand Prix. What the teams have to take into account is the increasing temperature during the weekend. According to Weather.com the maximum temperature on Friday will be 21 degrees, on Saturday it will be 24 degrees and on Sunday it will be 27 degrees. The wind will decrease during these three days.

Forecast for the first race

For the first race of the season, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing seem to be calling the shots. Max Verstappen took pole here in 2021 and there is quite a good chance that the Dutchman with number #1 can also take pole in the first race this year. The biggest competition he will get in one lap will be from Charles Leclerc, who has proven on several occasions in the past to be a qualification beast.

In the race, the stakes will be high. Carlos Sainz has proven to be able to perform consistently in a race, where Leclerc and Verstappen also have their history of incidents on the (kart) circuit. Perez will be lurking behind them, the Mexican won the special edition on the outdoor track in Sakhir, then for the Racing Point team.

Behind them, the men from Mercedes and McLaren will also try to connect with the top. Lewis Hamilton is keen on revenge after his failed campaign in 2021. George Russell drove a Mercedes once before in Bahrain and will want to show what he is worth. McLaren had some problems in Bahrain, but if the brake problems are solved Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris may also be able to compete for marbles in Bahrain.

All other teams are not expected to compete for victory based on the winter test. AlphaTauri and Williams drove a lot of meters, but did not make enough impression to compete at the front, while the many (technical) problems at Aston Martin, Alpine, Alfa Romeo and Haas meant that they did not come into action as much and therefore collected less data. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this part of the field to see which team has it right, and who has really missed the mark.

Where can you follow the race weekend?

In the United Kingdom, once again all sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. For most countries around the world, F1TV is accessaible. In the Netherlands, viaplay make their debut in F1. 

With GPblog you don't have to miss anything of the action in Bahrain this weekend. Each session on the circuit will have a live blog on the website, so you can stay up to date with the latest info from the circuit. These liveblogs can be found on the website one hour before the start of a session. In addition to the liveblogs, GPblog is the first to provide reactions from the circuit, images of actions on the track and of course the very latest news.

Timetable Grand Prix of Bahrain 2022

Friday

First free practice: 12:00-13:00

Second free practice: 15:00-16:00

Saturday

Third free practice: 12:00-13:00

Qualifying: 15:00-16:00

Sunday

Race: 15:00-17:00