2022 Car Launches and Pre-season Testing (March 10-12, Bahrain)

shadowstag10 said:Even today, Russell is struggling with lockups and understeer. Mercedes is facing some serious issues right now.

Yesterday, Mercedes was consistently losing ground to Ferrari in every single sector.

"Losing". 😁😁😁

Right now, Russell's lap times look quite promising. The car seems much more stable under braking than it did yesterday. It’s feeling more precise, too. They're still just testing and hunting for that perfect setup, dealing with a mess of pitot tubes all over the car and a makeshift fix for the rear floor attachment.

They raised the car up, so that's why—it's not scraping its underbody against the track anymore. A bunch of other teams are gonna have to catch up and do the same thing.

did a tire blow out during that Williams fire?

https://twitter.com/PhilDuncanF1/sta...46120013062144

So, Sainz is basically claiming they can see on the GPS that Mercedes-Benz is intentionally dragging their pace—I mean, he was being pretty subtle about it, but let's be real, there's no way he was just tripping or seeing things...

Based on the various perspectives being shared throughout the paddock over the last couple of days, it seems the general consensus points toward Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull Racing, and Ferrari occupying those top three spots, though there is a growing sense that the gap separating them from the rest of the field has begun to narrow significantly.
If I were to offer my own estimation, Ferrari appears to be holding the edge in terms of pure pace at this moment, yet I suppose we won't truly know the definitive order until we witness the qualifying session next Saturday.

Don't forget about McLaren—they look incredibly strong, maybe even the best of the bunch, though they tend to be one of those teams that doesn't show their full pace right out of the gate.

graniteharbor502 said:Based on everything I'm hearing floating around the paddock these last two days, most people see Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull Racing, and Ferrari sitting in that top three spot, though the gap between them and the rest of the grid seems to be shrinking.
To me, Ferrari looks like they have the fastest car right now. But hey, we won't know the actual order until qualifying next Saturday.

So, it's basically just Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-Benz fighting for titles... big surprise there. 🤔
If Ferrari isn't at least 3 seconds faster than everyone else, they don't stand a chance once they inevitably screw everything up with some brainless tactical calls or pathetic pit stops.
It'll just be Mercedes-Benz vs Red Bull Racing, while Ferrari somehow manages to win the "Formula 1 Testing Championship" yet again. 🙏

James Harris34 said:Don't sleep on McLaren—they look incredibly sharp right now, maybe even the class of the field, but they're one of those teams that tends to hide their true pace until the right moment.

Honestly, McLaren is dealing with a massive headache regarding front brake overheating. I'm pretty sure they didn't manage more than ten consecutive laps all day without hitting issues. It wasn't really an issue back during the cool weather in Barcelona, but out here in this heat, it’s become a glaring problem—enough that Norris mentioned he's just praying they can sort it out within the next week.

Looks like there's a serious issue with the McLaren brakes—I'm smelling something's definitely off. 😢

I feel like fixing brake issues is actually easier than trying to sort out this bouncing problem...
To me, Alpine looks like a dark horse waiting to strike... Alonso is staying quiet, which just feels off for him...

It seems there is quite a bit of whispering going on within the paddock lately, as veli Palmer has noted that both Mercedes and RB are reportedly working on some massive surprises for tomorrow's session. One can't help but wonder if the true masters of the game are finally deciding to reveal their hand at the very last moment? 😁

RB has debuted a brand new sidepod design! And what happens? They go out and clock the fastest lap of the session immediately. It makes one wonder, as someone once famously remarked regarding a certain poorly fitted pair of trousers... 😁

When a car possesses such an exquisite aesthetic, one cannot help but assume it holds incredible speed:

Red Bull is still struggling to find their rhythm over long stints. Ever since they started rolling out those new car upgrades, things have felt sluggish; they're spending way too much time stuck in the garage. It was the same story yesterday, and honestly, today hasn't been any different.

An interesting direction for the RB18.
At first glance, it seems Red Bull believes that directing downwash downward and around the sidepods is the way to go, which is why they're pushing for it with this latest aero package.

It’s essentially the same concept that a few other teams have already taken to the absolute extreme. 😁

I wouldn't call myself a fan, but honestly, the Mercedes car looks incredible this season. That turquoise shade is actually quite easy on the eyes.
After that criminal black look they were rocking last year, this is a total beauty.

Personally, this year's AM is my favorite—but I'm a total sucker for anything green, so there's that.

How many people actually believe Mercedes is struggling right now? 😁

Mick clocked in at a 1.32.2. If Haas is pulling numbers like that, I seriously doubt Mercedes can't find more speed, and I wouldn't be surprised if Perez dips below 1.30...
It doesn't feel much different from last year, even though they were all making a big deal about how much slower the cars would be...

Richard Walker38 said:Seriously, how many people actually think Mercedes is struggling right now? 😁

So, 😳
Bottas thinks Mercedes is in deep trouble and that his Alfa Romeo is actually faster than the Mercedes 😁