the HAAS is alive

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/statu...82741177827330

Alpine F1 2022.

Alpine to run pink livery for first two F1 races

Alpine will race a different version of its Formula 1 livery for the first two races of the 2022 season, adopting a majority pink design for title sponsor BWT.

Who will adapt and be fast immediately!??


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/no...1-car/8399599/

Norris experimenting with driving style to adapt to 2022 F1 car
McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris says he has been experimenting with his driving style for the all-new 2022 F1 cars and is conscious that he might need to adapt to the new McLaren.

By: Filip Cleeren
Co-author: Jonathan Noble
Feb 22, 2022, 10:38 AM
F1 has introduced its biggest rule change since 2009 with cars that feature completely overhauled aerodynamics designed around ground effect.

While F1's pre-season officially starts in Barcelona on Wednesday with the first of two three-day tests, drives have already sampled their new equipment in the virtual world with plenty of hours in the simulator.

Norris says he's used his time in the sim to experiment with changing his driving style to suit his team's MCL36 challenger, in case the new car needs a different approach to get the most out of it.

"Of course, that's in the back of my head," he said when asked if he's mindful of having to adapt his driving to the 2022-spec cars.

"On the simulator I've been spending a lot of time not just driving the car but being prepared to drive it in different ways and being ready to drive in different driving styles because of this.

"I would say our car has been quite specific in the last few years in how to drive it and how to get performance out of it. That showed through Daniel [Ricciardo] coming to drive the car. I think it is the case that some cars are easier to adapt to than others."


In his first year at the Woking team Ricciardo struggled to get used to McLaren's predecessor, the MCL35M, but the 2022 reset now puts both drivers on equal footing.

Norris is conscious every driver on the grid could end up in Ricciardo's 2021 situation, although the Briton is confident in his ability to quickly get used to new machinery.

"I think there's that for everyone: that they might suit people's driving styles more than others, and it could potentially be a hard one for me," Norris acknowledged. "But that is life, right? You have to deal with it.

"Before F1 I had to deal with it in every category I did, and I spent one year in every season and each year I had to adapt something new and try to make the most of that.

"It has been proven by champions and race winners that an F1 car is not an easy thing to get your head around and get in the zone, which I felt I did more last year and that is what Daniel struggled with.

"I hope it suits my driving style and everything's groovy but definitely there will be things I have to adapt to.

"Now that this [car] is very different it is going to be different for me and different for Daniel."

The winter break is almost over and the 2022 Formula 1 season is edging closer.

The vast majority of the teams have launched their new cars so now it's time for testing to get under way.

The first three days - from 23-25 February - will be held at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya, with live text commentaries available on the BBC website and app.

A second testing session will take place in Bahrain from 10-12 March before the season gets under way on the same track on 20 March.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/60076597

The secrets revealed in Red Bull's belated RB18 unveiling
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
Feb 23, 2022, 5:46 AM

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...iling/8425707/

Late is the hour at which Red Bull chooses to appear. Having escorted Max Verstappen to his first Formula 1 world title, the team's new RB18 had yet to break cover as the team elected to “launch” its new model with...a completely different car.

But perhaps Red Bull is never late, or early, and has unveiled its car precisely when it means to. Aiming to keep some of its details under wraps to ensure they couldn’t be assimilated into the other cars, Barcelona’s “shakedown event” proved to be the first proper look at its new championship challenger.

And, as expected, it’s taken a very bold approach to the new F1 regulations, even if the front wing looks relatively conventional by the current standards compared to those we’ve already seen. The wing features a centrally loaded layout which sweeps downwards towards the tips, with part of the flap adjuster mechanism placed either side of the nose in a bid to build a small vortex and send it around the front wheels.

The endplates are squared off in a manner similar to its ‘sister’ AlphaTauri team and, like many of the recent Red Bull F1 cars, the nose features a small snorkel at the tip, built into the wing element behind the front plane.

But the front suspension is altogether more interesting. Like McLaren, Red Bull has switched to a pullrod layout while the upper wishbone is also arranged curiously, with the rear leg mounted much further down on the chassis bulkhead in an apparent bid to control the oncoming airflow and turn it downwards. There’s been a lot of focus in this area amid the new rules, especially with the reduced aero componentry, and directing airflow to the front of the sidepods with the suspension components appears to be in vogue.

Speaking of those sidepods, Red Bull has really rolled up its sleeves in this area. They feature a very heavy undercut, helped by extending the bottom leading edge of the inlet forward. In this area, the opening of the floor’s Venturi tunnels features a bargeboard-like extension over the top. Sharp, exposed corners produce and energise vortices to help shunt airflow outwards, guiding any tyre wake away from the floor area.

max-verstappen-red-bull-racing-1.jpg
Dramatic undercut on the sidepods is designed to channel air more effectively

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Airflow will pass around that undercut and around the flat-sided sidepods to be drawn into the rear 'Coke bottle' region, while the air passing over the top follows a downwards ramp to also feed towards the back of the car. This has been done by positioning many of the cooling components closer to the centre of the car, necessitating a larger inlet above the driver's head. There’s also a few tidbits around the halo area, with the mounting points either side of the driver’s head rather extended in size to help provide the airflow with greater direction over the engine cover area.

The floor too features a range of interesting little details, with a small cut in its edge and a squared-off ‘Z-floor’ - similar to those seen in F1 last year – towards the rear. The exposed corners will also help produce airflow patterns to help seal the floor, protecting the underbody flow within the Venturi tunnels to ensure they retain their efficiency.

PLUS: How F1 teams tackled 2021's unique development war

At the rear, Red Bull has switched to a pushrod rear suspension format, opening up the floor space more for the Venturi tunnels to deliver the right amount of airflow expansion – creating the suction that can result in a high downforce yield. As such, the pushrod rockers are mounted on top of the gearbox/tailpipe area to accommodate the reworked suspension. Given that Red Bull popularised the shift to pullrod suspension at the rear, this is an interesting volte face from the team, and suggests that the team has been able to find plenty of gains in the pushrod switch.

As expected, it’s taken a very bold approach to the new F1 regulations, even if the front wing looks relatively conventional by the current standards compared to those we’ve already seen
The bodywork in this area bulges out to allow hot air to escape, as Red Bull has not opted to pepper its engine cover with any gill-like slots at this stage in time. This necessitates a larger exit, which has been positioned a little higher up in a bid to keep the beam wing open.

For the most part, the overall rear wing shape doesn’t show anything out of the ordinary at this stage, featuring a relatively flat mainplane. The central part of the upper flap features the V-shaped cutout to bleed off any wake from the DRS housing – which appears to conform to current style and sits within a singular wing mounting.

But although the sidepods are visually different to the other concepts seen in F1’s 2022 prologue, the rest of the car seems relatively conventional compared to the others. But it’s simply impossible to say if the car’s good simply from looking at it; especially as the most important part of the new regulations (the underbody) is naturally obscured from view. And if we do get a glimpse of a 2022 floor, something’s most likely gone very wrong.

max-verstappen-red-bull-racing-1.jpg
Underbody will be the most important element of new car design

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

As of the morning session in Barcelona’s shakedown it appears that the RB18 has good reliability out of the box, Verstappen logging 35 laps within the first hour and 30 minutes around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. That will be encouraging for Red Bull as it looks to build on its first title since 2013, especially as it also hopes to make another push for the constructors’ title after just missing out to Mercedes in 2021.

Like last year, the two teams couldn’t be any more different in philosophy; Mercedes opting for a tight rear-end package while Red Bull has sculpted its sidepods in a completely different fashion – just as the two were on the opposite sides of the rake spectrum across the past few seasons. And yet, there was nothing between the two teams last season.

As I write this, Mercedes and Red Bull sit separated by a tenth as George Russell and Verstappen have logged a similar number of laps around the Barcelona venue. Is that a harbinger of things to come once again in 2022 – or is Red Bull’s decision to keep its RB18 secrets until the very last minute a precursor to more secrets becoming apparent later on? At this stage, it’s impossible to say.

max-verstappen-red-bull-racing-1.jpg
Red Bull was reliable out of the box on Wednesday morning

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Day one morning times
1. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m20.165s, C3, 80 laps
2. Norris (McLaren) 1m20.474s, C3, 50 laps
3. Russell (Mercedes) 1m20.784s, C3, 77 laps
4. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m21.276s, C3, 52 laps
5. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1m21.638s, C3, 43 laps
6. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m22.246s, C2, 80 laps
7. Alonso (Alpine) 1m23.317s, C3, 54 laps
8. Latifi (Williams) 1m23.379s, C3, 66 laps
9. Mazepin (Haas) 1m26.455s, C2, 20 laps - Haas had a cooling leak and sensor issues
10. Kubica (Alfa Romeo) 1m25.909s, C3, 9 laps

Damn... was hoping Mazepin would take out some other cars :stirthepot:

Hmm, No Hamilton.

Concerns on for these teams
13. Mazepin (Haas) 1m24.505s, C2, 20 laps
14. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m24.981s, C2, 10 laps
15. Kubica (Alfa Romeo) 1m25.909s, C3, 9 laps
16. Schumacher (Haas) 1m26.879s, 8 laps

Here is Hamilton
1. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m20.165s, C3, 80 laps
2. Norris (McLaren) 1m20.474s, C3, 71 laps
3. Russell (Mercedes) 1m20.784s, C3, 77 laps
4. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m21.032s, C3, 34 laps

The Race is saying this afternoon, is more about long runs

YOu can follow test here - https://www.autosport.com/f1/live-te...day-1/1112940/

So far -

Leaderboard

Norris, McLaren, 1m19.568s, C4 - 93 laps
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m20.165s, C3 - 80
Sainz, Ferrari, 1m20.416s, C3 - 77
Russell, Mercedes, 1m20.784s, C3 - 77
Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m20.929s, C3 - 50
Vettel, Aston Martin, 1m21.276s, C3 - 52
Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 1m21.638s, C3 - 112
Alonso, Alpine, 1m21.746s, C2 - 118
Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m22.246s, C2 - 152
Bottas, Alfa Romeo, 1m22.572s, C3 - 23
Albon, Williams, 1m22.760s, C3 - 63
Schumacher, Haas, 1m23.009s, C3 - 12
Latifi, Williams, 1m23.379s, C3 - 66
Stroll, Aston Martin, 1m23.327s, C2 - 52
Mazepin, Haas, 1m24.505s, C2 - 20
Kubica, Alfa Romeo, 1m25.909s, C3 - 9

Final Day One Results

Day one times
1. Norris (McLaren) 1m19.568s, C4, 102 laps
2. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m20.165s, C3, 80 laps
3. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m20.416s, C3, 73 laps
4. Russell (Mercedes) 1m20.784s, C3, 77 laps
5. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m20.929s, C3, 50 laps
6. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m21.276s, C3, 52 laps
7. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1m21.638s, C3, 120 laps
8. Alonso (Alpine) 1m21.746s, C3, 146 laps
9. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m22.246s, C2, 147 laps
10. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m22.572s, C3, 23 laps
11. Albon (Williams) 1m22.760s, C3, 66 laps
12. Schumacher (Haas) 1m22.962s, C3, 23 laps
13. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m23.327s, C3, 67 laps
14. Latifi (Williams) 1m23.379s, C3, 66 laps
15. Mazepin (Haas) 1m24.505s, C2, 20 laps
16. Kubica (Alfa Romeo) 1m25.909s, C3, 9 laps

If interested comments from "The Race' here
https://the-race.com/f1-testing-2022-barcelona-day-1/

New Williams today. Now thats a 'test' car lol

Day two times - morning times
1. Ricciardo (McLaren) 1m20.355s, C3, 65 laps
2. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m20.546s, C3, 71 laps
3. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m20.764s, C3, 61 laps
4. Albon (Williams) 1m21.531s, C3, 47 laps
5. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m21.920s, C2, 55 laps
6. Schumacher (Haas) 1m21.949s, C3, 66 laps
7. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m22.288s, C3, 21 laps
8. Perez (Red Bull) 1m22.412s, C2, 38 laps
9. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m22.562s, C2, 40 laps
10. Ocon (Alpine) 1m23.280s, C2, 66 laps

Perez (Red Bull) - had a gearbox problem towards the end of the morning

Link to the The Race
https://the-race.com/f1-testing-2022-barcelona-day-2/

Just interesting

Speed trap figures
A few people including Chris asking about engine modes and speed trap figures.

Here are the speed trap figures (kph) from this morning:

Gasly 326
Schumacher 323
Albon 317
Perez 316
Bottas 315
Sainz 313
Stroll 312
Ricciardo 309
Hamilton 309
Ocon 296

Differences will likely be down to a mixture of engine modes, fuel loads and set-up.

Perez - has not return, appears to be a gear box problem
Still no sign of Red Bull
Though Mazepin was the last among today's driver line-up to have taken to the track earlier on, we are still waiting to see one team this afternoon: Red Bull.

No news yet from the team, though it did earlier confirm the problem that forced Perez to stop on track was gearbox related

Mazepin stoppage wonder if he went off again
Haas says Nikita Mazepin's red flag-inducing on-track stoppage was caused by "a damaged fuel pump".

Teams are reporting porpoising, an old problem is back again :)

On F1 cars, porpoising comes from airflow separation problems. With the underfloor responsible for a much higher percentage of the front downforce and running close to track surface, the new cars are a likely candidate to suffer from this problem.

https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...cing-f1-teams/

Day two times - Final
1. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m19.689s, C3, 79 laps
2. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m19.918s, C4, 147 laps
3. Ricciardo (McLaren) 1m20.288s, C4, 126 laps
4. Russell (Mercedes)1m20.537s, C3, 66 laps
5. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m20.546s, C3, 71 laps
6. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m20.784s, C3, 74 laps
7. Perez (Red Bull) 1m21.430s, C2, 78 laps
8. Mazepin (Haas) 1m21.512s, C3, 42 laps
9. Albon (Williams) 1m21.531s, C3, 47 laps
10. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m21.885s, C3, 71 laps
11. Latifi (Williams) 1m21.894s, C3, 61 laps
12. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m21.920s, C2, 55 laps
13. Schumacher (Haas) 1m21.949s, C3, 66 laps
14. Ocon (Alpine) 1m22.164s, C3, 125 laps
15. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m22.288s, C3, 21 laps
16. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m22.562s, C2, 40 laps

The Race
12:09:03 PM
Day two summary
- Leclerc fastest for Ferrari with a 1m19.689s on C3 tyres
- Time was a tenth down on Norris's best from day one
- First two red flags of testing: Perez (gearbox) in the morning, Mazepin (fuel pump) in the afternoon
- Ferrari again top in mileage stakes with 150 laps; Gasly does 147 for AlphaTauri
- Rookie Zhou completes 71 laps - big boost for Alfa Romeo

Link to The Race
https://the-race.com/f1-testing-2022-barcelona-day-2/

Up next to Mazepin is no money or ability to move it. Gunther Steiner was been denied entry to the F1 teams press conference. Haas are facing issues now. Thanks Putin!

BBC -Sebastian Vettel says the Russian Grand Prix should be cancelled - and he will not be there if the race goes ahead.

The page selling tickets for the event has disappeared from the official F1 website, and one promoting the Turkish Grand Prix has appeared.

This has led to speculation that the race will be cancelled and replaced by one at Turkey's Istanbul Park.

AutoSport -Vettel: “For myself, my own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I think it’s wrong to race in that country. I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons under a very strange and mad leadership.

“I’m sure it’s something we will talk about, but as I said as GPDA, we haven’t come together yet.”

Vettel added that “my decision is already made” on the matter.

Without turning this into a political debate, I suspect that FOM, owned by US Liberty, won't be able due to sanctions to support anything Russian for quite some time.

Sad day - our thoughts ought to be elsewhere. But maybe F1 testing is a much-needed diversion for those of us not running for cover this afternoon.

EDIT - I just went on the F1 site and the Russian GP ticket pre-sales page is still there. So I don't know what BBC is talking about. It's an easy thing to verify

There is no room in F1 for a Mazepin family that has openly supported Putin. Them being out of F1 is appropriate. F1 was foolish to have ever gone near Russia under Putin especially after Crimea in 2014.

Haas has issues. The banking sanctions will prevent Uralkali funding to move.

:iagree::iagree:

Maybe Andretti can buy HAAS now? :)

Haas to run a plain white livery on the final day of testing.

I'm thinking they will be sweating - Uralkali won't be able to export potash, and probably Haas will be prohibited from doing business with the Russian firm by way of sanction.

Day three times
1. Russell (Mercedes) 1m19.233s, C5, 66 laps
2. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m19.756s, C3, 59 laps
3. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m19.824s, C4, 48 laps
4. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m19.831s, C3, 44 laps
5. Latifi (Williams) 1m20.699s, C4, 5 laps
6. Norris (McLaren) 1m20.827s, C3, 52 laps
7. Alonso (Alpine) 1m21.242s, C3, 12 laps -
8. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m21.939s, C3, 41 laps
9. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m22.469s, C2, 40 laps
10. Albon (Williams) 1m22.652s, C2, 21 laps
11. Mazepin (Haas) 1m26.229s, C3, 9 laps

Morning summary
- Russell puts Mercedes on top for first time
- Best lap of 1m19.233s was set on softest C5 tyres
- Alpine ends its test early after hydraulic issue
- Haas limited to nine laps by suspected oil leak
- Five red flags in total
- Only Mercedes (66), Red Bull (59) and McLaren (52) clear 50 laps

"Impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances"
Here's a full statement from F1, which says itself, the FIA and the teams agreed the Russian GP cannot go ahead at present.

"The FIA Formula 1 World Championship visits countries all over the world with a positive vision to unite people, bringing nations together. We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation. On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ha...-week/8486683/

Haas set to review future of Uralkali F1 deal next week
Haas is set to review the future of its Uralkali Formula 1 title sponsorship deal next week after removing the company's stickers from its car following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Luke Smith
By:
Luke Smith
Feb 25, 2022, 6:49 AM

Haas announced on Thursday evening that it would be completing the final day of F1 testing in Barcelona without any Uralkali sponsorship or colours, which resembled the Russian flag.

It has left the future of the deal and that of driver Nikita Mazepin unclear ahead of the new F1 season.

Team principal Gunther Steiner made his first media appearance since the decision was taken on Friday, and explained that it would go through the legal ramifications next week.

“We removed it yesterday, we have to sort out all the legal stuff, which I cannot speak about, next week,” Steiner said.

“At the moment, I said we’re not going to do it today. We made the decision yesterday with our team partners. This is what we’re going to do.

“I need to work on the rest next week.”

Russian troops commenced a major military assault on Ukraine on Thursday morning after months of growing tensions.

The outbreak of war has also left the future of the Russian Grand Prix in serious doubt, leading to crisis talks between F1 officials and team bosses on Thursday evening in Barcelona.

Further information on the fate of the race is expected soon, but drivers and teams have already indicated it would not be viable to race there in September.

The Champions League final, which was due to take place in St Petersburg at the end of May, has already been moved to Paris.

Steiner said the call to remove the Uralkali sponsorship and colours had the full backing of team owner Gene Haas, and that it was “the right decision to take”.

“There is no setback for the competition side because of this, none at all,” Steiner said.

“We just need to go through the commercial issues. As I said before, we will do that in the next weeks.”
Nikita Mazepin, Haas F1 Team

Nikita Mazepin, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Asked by Autosport how much of a financial headache it would be for the team to potentially lose its title sponsor, Steiner said that “financially, we are OK”.

He also confirmed that the sanctions issued so far by the US, UK and EU had not impacted the team.

“It has no [impact] on the team, how we are running it or how we are doing, how we plan this season,” Steiner said.

“There are more ways to get the funding. There is no issue with that one.”

Uralkali is co-owned by Mazepin’s father, Dmitry, and has backed the Russian driver throughout his racing career.

Mazepin continued to test the Haas VF-22 car on Friday morning in Barcelona, but was pulled out of the planned F1 press conference at lunchtime. His media engagements on Thursday were also cancelled.

Steiner acknowledged that Mazepin’s future with the team “needs to be resolved” as there were bigger factors at play, such as government involvement.

“Not everything depends on us here, what is happening,” Steiner said.

“There are governments involved and I have no power over them. We need to see also the situation, how it develops in Ukraine.”

Wet Session for this afternoon
The Race
7:40:36 AM
Gary Anderson:
I've never been a big fan of artificially soaking a circuit for wet running using methods like F1 will use this afternoon.

I loved Bernie Ecclestone's suggestion of putting lawn sprinklers on some corners and randomly turning them on and off! :icon17:

Next year's DTS Episode 1 starts out with:

"Hello. Michael Andretti? This is Gene Haas calling"

Summary - for today final. Next is Bahrain!!


Leaderboard

Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m19.138s, C5 - 94 laps
Russell, Mercedes, 1m19.233s, C5 - 66
Perez, Red Bull, 1m19.556s, C4 - 74
Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m19.756s, C3 - 59
Vettel, Aston Martin, 1m19.824s, C5 - 48
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m19.831s, C3 - 44
Sainz, Ferrari, 1m20.072s, C3 - 92
Albon, Williams, 1m20.318, C4 - 94
Latifi, Williams, 1m20.699s, C4 - 13
Ricciardo, McLaren, 1m20.750, C3 - 86
Norris, McLaren, 1m20.827s, C3 - 52
Alonso, Alpine, 1m21.242s, C3 - 12
Zhou, Alfa Romeo, 1m21.939s, C3 - 41
Gasly, AlphaTauri, 1m22.469s, C4 - 40
Mazepin, Haas, 1m26.229s, C3 - 9
Bottas, Alfa Romeo, 1m30.433s, C3 - 10

Mercedes on the upgrade path already!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/me...ution/8512081/

Mercedes set for Bahrain F1 upgrade as it chases porpoising solution

Mercedes is to add a raft of aero upgrades to its car for the next Formula 1 test in Bahrain, as it seeks a permanent solution for its porpoising problems.

Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Feb 26, 2022, 3:34 AM

The Brackley-based squad was affected this week by the bouncing car phenomenon that struck a number of teams throughout the first pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain.

And, as Autosport.com’s exclusive photograph below shows(see the attached photo below I uploaded), it was only able to overcome the problem on the final day by adding some stiffening stays to its floor to help better manage flexing at high speed that was contributing to its issue.

The team knows that the stays are not a solution that it can carry forward, so much of its focus over the next week will be on revising the car to find a long-term answer to the headache.

But while Lewis Hamilton openly confessed that the team had faced some ‘obstacles’ in Barcelona, it has emerged that the team’s performance in the next Bahrain test is set to be lifted by a potentially major upgrade of aerodynamic parts.
Read Also:

There has even been speculation in the Barcelona paddock that it could include a heavily revised sidepod area to help further reduce the car’s drag on the straight and better manage airflow.

George Russell said that bringing upgrades would be a fairly common thing for the opening phase of the championship as teams better understand the potential of the new regulations.

“I think we'll see it with all the teams,” he said. “We've got this massive regulation change. We've all arrived in Barcelona with our best estimate of where we need to place the car.

“But obviously, there's a lot of things on track that were quite different to what some people may have expected. So, we need to go away and try and optimise from the limitations we've had.

“I think we'll see some changes come Bahrain, and throughout the season. I'm sure the development slope is going to be pretty rapid for everyone. Whoever can get on top of that the quickest and most efficiently will be the ones on top come the end of the season.”
Mercedes W13 stiffened floor

Mercedes W13 stiffened floor

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Mercedes is no stranger to running a base car at the first test and then introducing a more definitive version at the final pre-season run.

In 2019, it introduced a fairly basic car at the opening week of action before unleashing a complete revamp for the second and final test as it went on to secure an F1 championship double.

Although Mercedes ended the Barcelona test 1-2, Russell said that the laptimes meant absolutely nothing in terms of car potential.

“It's been incredibly intriguing and for all of us there's been a lot of unexpected issues, which have been quite visible,” he said.

“Some teams have it quite well under control, and some clearly do not. Lap time wise, I don't think it's representative at all.

“We were obviously on the softest compound of tyres, and the C5 is a very strong tyre around this track. So even though we were on the top of the timesheets, I wouldn't read too much into it.

“I think the Ferrari and McLaren were looking incredibly strong. And I think we've got some improvements to be made as we're not fully happy with the balance of the car and the limitations we have currently.

“But at the end of the day, it is only testing. We're here to learn. And I think we've made some good experiments this week and got a good indication of the direction we need to go in.”

This entire business of Haas and Uralka-Liars in Russia is dead per this from today's press --

Uralkali founder Dmitry Mazepin, the father of Nikita, was one of the business leaders who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the sanctions placed on the country, and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said his team would consider its options for continuing with both Uralkali and Mazepin next week.

Assessment of "porpoising" issue teams have - If someone gets it right after Bahrain and it takes 5 or 6 races to fix for a major team = season almost over lol.

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...word-does-mean

--However, most technical directors believe it can be fixed with updates, albeit ones that were not part of the original development plans. McLaren's James Key suspects it will be less of a talking point by race five or six once teams have had time to solve the issue.--

Alfa Romeo 2022

Lets hope it compete's as nice as it looks. They need a good test in Bahrain.

Maze-spin Oligarch child cannot race in the UK - He is done unless Haas dont see the reality of all this

Russian-licenced drivers banned from British motorsport

Russian-licenced drivers and teams are to be banned from competing in motorsport events in the UK, it was announced on Wednesday.


The Motorsport UK decision potentially has huge implications for drivers competing at international and national level.

It means that Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, who races for Haas in F1, would not be able to compete in this year’s British Grand Prix if the team decided to keep him on. A decision on his future at the American-owned team is expected to be made imminently.

The only way such drivers could continue would be to race under a different nationality’s licence, as the Motorsport UK decision is based on its refusal to recognise licences issued by the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF) and the Belarus Automobile Federation (BAF).