via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Pre-Season Testing – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 10, 2022 Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. in action during testing REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Pre-Season Testing – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 10, 2022 Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. in action during testing REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
The official Pre-season testing in Bahrain has concluded! The F1 teams can switch their focus to preparing themselves for the first race of the season next week. With the season opener coming closer and closer, many fans are wondering where the teams will eventually stand on the grid comes race day. But just like in every testing, the pecking order for the season is unclear.
The reason that the pecking order is a huge talking point is this year’s completely new regulations and cars that teams are still trying to tame. But F1 Journalist Will Buxton took to social media to present his take on the potential leaderboard for the season, or at least the first race of the season. He gave the reasoning behind putting Red Bull on top over the reliable Ferrari in his list.
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F1 Journalist picks Red Bull as pre-season favorites
Buxton mentioned that the Austrian team might have shown their hand late on Day 3 as they went fast among all the teams. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen was the quickest of all ahead of Mick Schumacher and Charles Leclerc.
Midfield
4 McLaren – very fast. So fast they’re having trouble stopping the thing
5 Alfa Romeo – fast but fragile.
6 Haas – headline times may be glory runs but rivals are worried by their pace and potential
7 Alpha Tauri – quiet but impressive. Maybe placed them a bit low
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) March 12, 2022
This is just an impression of pace potential. If we factor in reliability and where we might be if the race was tomorrow, it’d be a different list.
McLaren, Alfa, Haas could all qualify top 10 and fail to finish. It’ll look very different in a week.
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) March 12, 2022
The list is certainly interesting, as he chooses Alfa Romeo and Haas over Aston Martin and Alpine. Moreover, this is strange, as both teams had struggled with reliability throughout the two separate tests in Barcelona and Bahrain.
READ MORE: Why Do Mercedes Dominate F1?
Interestingly, Buxton picked Williams as the slowest team going into the first race of the season. But compared to all the midfield teams, the British team has been more reliable and consistently pacy throughout the six days.
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But in a surprising development, Red Bull have eclipsed Ferrari and Mercedes as the pre-season favorite. Many, including Mercedes driver George Russell, believe both teams are ahead of the German team.
“As it stands, Red Bull are looking incredibly strong, Ferrari are looking really solid, and we have some work to do. I don’t think they’re exceptional, I think we’re probably not as competitive as we would like.”
“I believe the guys are going get to the bottom of it; there is potential there, we just need to figure out a way to unlock that performance,” said Russell after testing.
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It is indeed shocking to see Mercedes off the pace compared to their rivals, but, as we have previously seen, they can turn things around in the week’s time. Hopefully, we will see the cars this close while racing next week as well. What do you think? Give us your standing going into the season.
