They're the only ones who have made the minimum weight apparently. Might be quick if they can get it running reliably.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ho...-2022/8631973/

How porpoising could trigger a qualifying dilemma in F1 2022
Formula 1 drivers were in for a nasty surprise at Barcelona pre-season testing when the age-old ground effect problem of porpoising reared its head again.

By: Filip Cleeren
Mar 2, 2022, 10:13 AM
Until teams find permanent solutions, they might face a profound qualifying dilemma in 2022's opening races.

As explained in depth over the past week, porpoising occurs when ground effect cars bottom out on the straights, which severely disrupts the process of generating downforce via the floor. The result is a series of dramatic oscillations as the cars get stuck in a loop of being sucked down to the floor, only to lose downforce again once it hits the track and then rise up again.

That bouncing motion is not just a mere annoyance for drivers, but as Mercedes' George Russell said, it has the "potential to be a real safety concern if it gets out of control" during the race.



While some outfits suffered more from the issue than others, they are all looking for solutions to first mitigate and then eliminate the effect.

But with most teams genuinely caught by surprise that the porpoising phenomenon struck as dramatically as it did in Barcelona, and the long lead times involved to come up with permanent design changes, some compromises might need to be found to get through the first couple of races of 2022.

A quick fix to keep porpoising to a minimum is simply to raise the rideheight of the cars, and hence stop them from constantly bottoming out on the straights.

But 2022's new generation of cars has been conceived to be heavily dependent on the ground effect, meaning they need to be run as stiff and as low to the ground as possible to seal the floor and produce the highest amount of downforce possible.


Raising the rideheight by more than a few millimetres could therefore incur a lap time loss of several tenths, meaning teams will need to decide whether to leave performance on the table or risk suffering from more dramatic porpoising.

And while it was just about manageable in testing circumstances at the smooth Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it could prove more hazardous elsewhere at high-speed, bumpy venues.

The dilemma of performance over drive comfort is especially compounded in qualifying, because teams found DRS use to mitigate the issue. That is because by activating DRS, the aero load on the car is reduced - so it does not squat down as much to the ground as when the flap is closed.

On a flying lap in qualifying, DRS is deployed in every zone, whereas in the race it naturally can only be used when nearing the car in front.

It means there could be a temptation of going for a set-up that is quick in qualifying with DRS open, but more troublesome on Sunday when the porpoising cannot be eased by opening the flap regularly.

With parc ferme preventing set-up changes between qualifying and the race, teams therefore look set to face some tough decisions.

"We'll have to understand the cars well, but you have to make a lot of compromises in qualifying," Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said.

"Everyone is looking to go as low as possible, but you also have the porpoising. That will be important because in qualifying, to get the maximum, you have to go there [low to the ground]. But when you don't have the DRS open, we have the problem."

Carlos Sainz Jr, whose Ferrari was one of the cars that suffered the most from porpoising, added: "It depends on the set-up you run, it depends if you use the DRS or not.

"It's a whole new world and understanding that we need to get on top of, because it looks like it could be a topic for this year."

Alpine's sporting director Alan Permane recognised teams are unlikely to go against their nature and sacrifice performance to solve the issue.


While a straightforward solution appears to be on the table, he's "not convinced" teams are just going to increase the rideheight until a permanent solution is found.

"It's definitely a real problem, but I'm thinking we need to get on top of it, and I think they will get on top of it, I'm sure," Permane said.

"But I'm not convinced. When you say, we can stop that but you're going to go half a second slower, I don't think anyone's going to put their hand up and say: 'We'll do that. We'll make the aerodynamic changes to stop it porpoising but actually, it's going to cost us a load of downforce to do it.' No one's going to do that.

"I think it has caught everyone by surprise."

Attention now will be on how much teams have solved the issue in their factories before next week's final test in Bahrain, and whether or not the headaches are really going to ramp up for the first race of the season.

P-ss of Nikita. I hope Haas fire him ..........

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fi...ivers/8690540/

FIA outlines code of conduct for Russian drivers
The FIA has outlined the restrictions under which Russian drivers will be allowed to compete in events this year – and it covers logos, social media and comments they may make.

Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Mar 4, 2022, 5:46 AM

Motor racing’s governing body announced earlier this week that, while it was cancelling all sanctioned competitions in Russia and Belarus, it would allow the country’s drivers to continue if they did so in a neutral capacity.

In a document sent out on Friday, the FIA outlined exactly what drivers from those two countries would and would not be allowed to do.

The key points are:

The display of Russian/Belarusian national symbols, colours or flags are banned in public and on social media platforms.
Russian/Belarusian flags, emblems, symbols, and words linked to the country are banned from display on uniforms, clothing, accessories and other personal items.
The signing or playing of the Russian/Belarusian national anthem at any event or area controlled by the FIA is outlawed.
Comments, actions or conduct that is prejudicial to the interests of the FIA, and in particular any support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is banned.

The FIA has also not ruled out taking more action against Russian and Belarusian drivers.

In a note sent out on Friday it said: “The FIA continues to carefully monitor the events in Ukraine and reserves the right to take any further actions or implement further measures in the future, including any necessary actions required to comply with its obligations under any applicable sanctions regime and/or any contracts to which the FIA is a party.”


Drivers have been explicitly warned that they could yet be refused entry to events if the FIA elects to adopt a tougher stance.

In the commitment document drivers must sign, it states: “I acknowledge and accept that the FIA may implement further measures or issue further decisions in relation to my participation in Covered Events in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including the right to refuse me entry into or prevent me from participating in and/or attending any Covered Event. I will comply with any such further measures and decisions.”

While the FIA is allowing Russian drivers to continue competing, some national motorsport authorities have banned competitors from their country completely.

Motorsport UK announced earlier this week that Russian teams and drivers would not be allowed to take part in events in Britain.
Read Also:

Ferrari expects Mercedes to bring "big upgrade" to second F1 test
Domenicali: Drive to Survive has to add value for F1 to continue
F1 drivers confident of adjusting to reduced visibility in 2022 cars

On Friday, the German motorsport federation, the DMSB, announced that it was banning Russian and Belarusian drivers and teams from competition.

DMSB president Wolfgang Wagner-Sachs said: “We want to do our part to increase international pressure on the regime in Moscow to end the acts of war immediately.

“Sport should normally build bridges, but in this extreme situation, which is the fault of Russia, clear signals must be sent against the aggressors.”

Ha ha he is gone. I hope you are sent somewhere and you get your a-- shot off. Funk you and your corrupt shite family!!

Haas F1 team splits with Mazepin, Uralkali after Ukraine invasion
The Haas Formula 1 team has announced it has terminated its contract with Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali with immediate effect as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lewis Duncan
By:
Lewis Duncan
Mar 5, 2022, 4:08 AM

On 24 February, Russian forces ordered by president Vladimir Putin began an invasion on neighbouring Ukraine, which has so far spanned a week .

The invasion has been condemned by Western nations, with sanctions being imposed from countries worldwide on Russia.

Sporting authorities have also moved in recent days to ban Russian athletes and sporting events, though motorsport governing body the FIA has only so far banned Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing under their national flags.

During the Barcelona pre-season F1 test, when war broke out in Ukraine, Haas moved to strip its cars of Uralkali branding and Mazepin’s future remained unclear given his family ties to Putin.

But on Saturday morning, Haas announced it had parted ways with both Russian chemical giant Uralkali and Mazepin.

A short statement from the team read: “Haas F1 team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin.

“As with the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict.”

Haas is yet to make any further updates on who will replace Mazepin going forward, or what its plans will be in terms of the upcoming Bahrain pre-season test next week.

Horner just wont shut his ugly trap...........

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60651647

Christian Horner accuses Mercedes of 'bullying' behaviour leading to Michael Masi's removal

:facepalm:

Thought he was 'moving on' They got Maxi-poo his little title by persuasion so now Mercedes are bad LOL. Really..................

Cargo delays may force Haas to miss first day of Bahrain F1 test
F1
03/07/2022 - 15:24

The Haas Formula 1 team’s preparations for this week’s second pre-season test in Bahrain have hit a snag with some of its cargo stuck in the UK.

What each team needs from F1’s second pre-season test in Bahrain

https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/997...preseason-test

Could be, but Mercedes needs to be careful what they wish for.
They benefitted enough times from off-script decisions from the race director as well!

Stewards themselves ruled against LH giving up P1 in Yas not Masi.

RedBull protested wings - had to alter theirs and new tests were needed because they cheated lol

Take a look at this picture attached LOL. Yeah. Mercedes must have missed a payment drop to Masi-idiot.

Last year was an F-ing mess! Part of being an official is not being caught up in the heat of the moment. You ate judged on your consistency. The best baseball coaches say, I don't care if the home plate umpire is calling that pitch that is four inch wide a strike, as long as he calls it that way all the time for both teams. Regardless of who benefited, Msai was his own worst enemy!!!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

From HAAS this morning:

The team's freight arrived late last night to the circuit in Bahrain. This delay will impact our programme but we are targeting being out on track for the second session Thursday afternoon with Pietro Fittipaldi driving the VF-22.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...nswer/8836027/

Formula 1 / Bahrain March Testing News

The questions the second F1 test needs to answer

Last month's Barcelona test was our the first taste of the 2022 Formula 1 cars, and the three-day Bahrain session that starts on Thursday should give us a clearer picture of where the teams stand.

Adam Cooper
By:
Adam Cooper
Mar 9, 2022, 9:43 AM

Much could change in the pecking order over the course of what will be a very long season, but this week we should at least get some idea of what to expect in the early races.

Here are some of the key questions that could get answers in Bahrain.

Are the Red Bull and Mercedes updates game-changers?

All teams are expected to bring new parts to the Bahrain test. The gap between the first day in Barcelona on February 23 and the start of action in Sakhir is 15 days, and it's even longer if you track back to the earlier filming and shakedown days for the various teams.

That's a significant period in F1 winter development terms, and teams will have planned many months ago to have some parts built and ready for track use only for the second test, and not the first.

In addition, anyone who has anything really novel in the works in terms of aero parts would want to hide it for as long as possible, and not show their full hand in Barcelona.

It was obvious in Spain that there would be more to come from the big players, and the focus has been on what steps Mercedes and Red Bull will take for this week's second test.

"I think we'll see some changes come Bahrain," said George Russell. "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."

The big question now is just how much performance those two teams were holding back for Bahrain, and how quickly and effectively they can get any new parts to work.

Is Ferrari's pace real?


The Ferrari F1-75 looked quick from the start of the Barcelona test, and Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz appeared to be able to run fast times effortlessly, and in all conditions.

Leclerc was fifth in the table for the week, but his best lap was achieved on the C3 tyres – and those ahead of him in the rankings were running the softer C5 or C4. Crucially, the car did a lot of laps, and thus plenty of data was gathered.

"I think it was important because these cars are so different," said team boss Mattia Binotto. "And the first objective is trying to learn them. And the objective at least this session was really trying to map the car in all the conditions try to understand the correlations with the wind tunnel, the simulator.

"Now that correlation will be an exercise of the next days back in Maranello. We will really try to cross correlate all the data. And let's see if it's working well. But the car is behaving well, overall."

The consensus of those who crunched the numbers is that the team's pace was genuine relative to its main rivals. The question now is how the F1-75 stacks up in Bahrain alongside the Mercedes and Red Bull, both of which will now be much closer to the spec they will use at the first race.

Binotto was keen to play down Ferrari's own upgrade programme for Bahrain, noting: "It will not be much different compared to what we've got. I think that the first step for us will be to optimise what we have."

Will Alpine gain some momentum?


Much is expected of the Alpine team this year, but the Barcelona test was not a great start.

Early on the final morning Fernando Alonso stopped on track after a hydraulic leak triggered a fire. Having inspected the damage the team announced that it would end the test early and head home.

That left Alpine eighth in the table of laps completed for the week. It also meant that the drivers missed out on the opportunity to run lower fuel and softer tyres on the final day. A time set very early on Friday by Alonso on the C3 tyre benchmarked the team as eighth fastest, ahead only of Haas and Alfa Romeo.

The Enstone outfit was hampered in terms of laptime after deciding on the first day not to run with the DRS open, for reasons that were not specified in detail. It was also using Viry's new RE22 power unit in anger for the first time, and given that there was still much to learn, it wasn't pushed to the limits.

In other words, Alpine probably underperformed relative to its true potential to a greater degree than any other team, and Bahrain will be an opportunity to show signs of progress.

"I don't want to say everything's fine and we're completely chilled," sporting director Alan Permane said in Spain. "Of course, we're concerned. But it's in no way, 'Are we going to be at the bottom of the timesheets?'"


Will Bottas and Alfa Romeo find more speed?

The Barcelona test was also a difficult week for the Alfa Romeo team, which ran its new C42 in camouflage livery ahead of its official launch.

The car suffered from a string of mechanical gremlins. Reserve driver Robert Kubica managed only nine laps in his only session on the morning of day one, and then Valtteri Bottas ran only 23 laps that afternoon.

By the end of the test the car had logged 175 laps, with only Haas completing fewer. It was not good news for rookie driver Guanyu Zhou, who obviously really needs some mileage.

It was also clearly disappointing for Bottas, who has high expectations for his new team.

"It feels like we are still in very early stages of actually discovering the car," said the Finn. "For me, it was quite limited running that we had, only with two different tyre compounds, and only with very few set-up changes.

"So, there's still so much more to discover. So that's why we are really aiming to work hard between the test and hopefully get a better understanding in Bahrain. There's work to do. I'm not saying anything against that. But also I feel there is potential in this package."

Alfa team boss Fred Vasseur acknowledged that Barcelona hadn't been easy: "It was quite a difficult session. Now we have to think and to be focused on the next one. But we are trying to fix everything for Bahrain, and we can recover and look on the future."

Will the new tyres become more of a talking point?

The Barcelona test was the first time that F1 teams and drivers were able to experience the definitive 18-inch race tyres mated to the 2022 cars that they were designed for, having previously tested them on converted mule cars last year.

Given the engineering challenges involved in the switch it was perhaps surprising that the new Pirellis were little talked about, and conversations were dominated instead by the huge changes to the aero packages and the porpoising effect that teams experienced.

Few drivers offered public feedback on the tyres in Spain, but one of the most interesting comments came from Sainz.

"Compared to other years, maybe a bit less overheating, a bit less deg, but there's still deg, they're still a tyre that degrades, a tyre that overheats," said the Ferrari driver. "But the scale of it for me personally, I feel like it's a bit better. And the work done by Pirelli last year and the development seems to start to pay off a bit."

Will tyres become more of a topic in Bahrain? Firstly, temperatures will be much higher than they were in Spain, and thus more relevant not only for the Sakhir race itself, but also those that follow in warmer climes.

And secondly, the track is noted for being among the more abrasive, as the asphalt has a high granite content.

For the upcoming grand prix, Pirelli has taken a conservative route and chosen its three hardest compounds, the C1, C2, C3, having used the C2, C3 and C4 with its previous generation of tyres in 2021.

Naturally teams will concentrate on the race selections for the test, but the softer tyres will also be available if they want to try them, and that running could provide useful data for future events.

Will porpoising still be an issue?

The porpoising teams experienced in Barcelona was the major talking point of the week, and is likely to continue to be so in Bahrain.

Teams have had a fortnight to study it, although given that even with all their wind tunnel and CFD work they hadn't fully anticipated the issue it remains to be seen how successful their modelling has been in addressing it.

These cars were designed to run close to the ground, and if raising the ride heights is part of the cure then teams will still have a lot of adapting to do at the Bahrain test and heading into the first race weekend.

It also remains to be seen to what extent do teams decide to accept that some porpoising is acceptable if it means faster lap times, if it is not too discomforting to their drivers.

"We were a bit taken aback, which I think has been the case for all of the teams or most of the teams," Alfa Romeo technical director Jan Monchaux said in Barcelona.

"I would suspect that we are going to get that under control with some modifications mainly on the floor that will allow us to get a bit closer to our optimum.

"But with the current state of the rules, I would also expect that we'll have to set-up slightly higher than we all thought at the beginning. The question will be how much higher, it is 3-5mm, or is it 20mm? I hope it's going to be five, because then the re-work on the car will be less."

Tires are the key for me. The aero is what it is. Those tires are a true unknown. Tested these were in last years cars at Yas. Now only 1 short test in cool temp Spain. This will be key in the heat in Bahrain!!

From this link - https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...preseason-test

Bahrain will offer a completely different challenge for Pirelli, with high temperatures, a rough track surface and a layout that consistently punishes the rear tyres adding up to a heavy workout for the new rubber. If the 2022 tyres can handle the heat and provide consistent performance even when following another car, it will bode well for racing throughout the season.

Does this make sense.... (I think it might)

MAGNUSSEN RETURNS TO F1 AS HAAS’S MAZEPIN REPLACEMENT

https://the-race.com/formula-1/magnu...n-replacement/


https://the-race.com/formula-1/our-v...hjC9vauJg30%3D

Testing follow it here- https://www.autosport.com/f1/live-te...day-1/1113039/

and here live if you want to watch on web - https://cricfree.live/live/sky-sports-f1-backup-1

watching it on F1TV and the cars look great...
will be an interesting season
and RB is already complaining about MB

The Mercedes in Spain was the same. It just used different body work. Sorry Horner there is no conspiracy at all. Hard to say if that gives Mercedes an advantage yet.

No one is showing the speed at all. Over 3 seconds slower so far than the fastest lap in Bahrain last year. Much more pace is waiting for all of them it appears.

Day one times
1. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m33.902s, C4, 103 laps
2. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m34.359s, C3, 52 laps
3. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m34.531s, C3, 64 laps
4. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m34.736s, C4, 50 laps
5. Albon (Williams) 1m35.070s, C4, 104 laps
6. Norris (McLaren) 1m35.356s, C2, 50 laps
7. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m35.495s, C3, 66 laps
8. Vettel (Aston Martin), 1m35.706s, C3, 39 laps
9. Russell (Mercedes) 1m35.941s, C3, 60 laps
10. Perez (Red Bull) 1m35.977s, C3, 138 laps
11. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m36.365s, C3, 62 laps
12. Alonso (Alpine) 1m36.745s, C3, 24 laps
13. Ocon (Alpine) 1m36.768s, C2, 42 laps
14. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m37.164s, C3, 54 laps
15. Fittipaldi (Haas) 1m37.422s, C2, 47 laps

Day one summary
- Spree of late fast laps puts Gasly top
- AlphaTauri's 1m33.902s on C4 tyres beats Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc
- Session ends early after Perez beaches rear of his car
- Red Bull driver nevertheless completes most laps of anyone (138)
- Much-needed mileage for Alfa Romeo, which clears 100 laps
- Fittipaldi also manages 47 laps after afternoon start for delayed Haas
- One other red flag; aero rakes fall off Stroll's Aston Martin

Haas Sunday test blocked; team must make up time each night

Three teams said no, they cannot catch a break,

There is a fkn crazy war ongoing and these folks act like the idiots and entitled punks that they are. F1 - Its not just racing.......................:shakes head::shakes head::shakes head:

Day 2 Morning times
Day two times

1. Ocon (Alpine) 1m34.276s, C4, 59 laps
2. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m34.366s, C3, 54 laps
3. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m35.874s, C2, 45 laps
4. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m36.020s, C3, 46 laps
5. Norris (McLaren) 1m36.354s, C2, 29 laps
6. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1m36.802s, C3, 44 laps
7. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m36.987s, C2, 25 laps
8. Schumacher (Haas) 1m37.846s, C2, 23 laps
9. Russell (Mercedes) 1m38.585s, C2, 67 laps
10. Latifi (Williams) 1m39.845s, C2, 12 laps

Session over
In bizarre circumstances, that's the end of the morning session for day two of the Bahrain test.

KEY MOMENTS

Ocon 0.090s quicker than Leclerc
Latifi's Williams catches fire
Bottas's Alfa Romeo stops in closing moments
That prevents FIA's standing start trial from taking place
Russell completes the most laps

laughing a bit in watching F1 testing, all the support vehicles for the track are Ford, saw a Mustang and a Lincoln SUV...

Day 2 times, HAAS is going to run another hour, with the session over
Day two times

1. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m33.532s, C4, 60 laps
2. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m34.011s, C4, 86 laps
3. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m34.064s, C4, 70 laps
4. Hamilton (Mercedes), 1m34.141s, C5, 47 laps
5. Ocon (Alpine) 1m34.276s, C4, 111 laps
6. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m34.366s, C3, 54 laps
7. Norris (McLaren) 1m34.609s, C3, 60 laps
8. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1m36.020s, C3, 46 laps
9. Magnussen (Haas) 1m36.505s, C3, 39 laps
10. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1m36.802s, C3, 120 laps
11. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m36.987s, C2, 25 laps
12. Schumacher (Haas) 1m37.846s, C2, 23 laps
13. Russell (Mercedes) 1m38.585s, C2, 67 laps
14. Latifi (Williams) 1m39.845s, C2, 12 laps
15. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m39.984s, C2, 48 laps

I am excited to see what Charlie and Carlito can do this season. Ferrari times looking nice this time of year.

MAGNUSSEN SETS F1 TEST DAY’S BEST TIME DURING EXTRA RUNNING - this is interesting

https://the-race.com/formula-1/magnu...extra-running/

C-squared.
Referencing the constant in General Relativity?
Tifosi can only hope! :tiphat:

RICCIARDO TO MISS FINAL DAY IN BAHRAIN AFTER POSITIVE COVID TEST
By Scott Mitchell

Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for COVID-19 and must isolate before being released in time to compete in the 2022 Formula 1 season opener next week.

It means Ricciardo misses the entire second pre-season test in Bahrain, with Lando Norris to complete a third consecutive day in the MCL36 on Saturday.

Hope he recovers for the start of the season, who is the reserve driver for McLaren

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ha...hrain/8903795/

Hamilton: Mercedes battling to tame W13 F1 car in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is battling to tame its W13 Formula 1 car amid the heat and wind of Bahrain, as it endures wild oversteer moments and ongoing porpoising.
Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Mar 11, 2022, 11:53 AM

Neither Hamilton nor team-mate George Russell have appeared completely comfortable with their car during this week’s Bahrain test, with the Mercedes not looking at ease in the rapidly changing conditions at Sakhir.

Hamilton set the fourth-fastest time at the end of regular running on Friday, although his effort was subsequently beaten by Kevin Magnussen's Haas - which completed an extra hour on-track solo to compensate for freight delays that caused it to miss Thursday morning's session.

Although Hamilton is not completely disheartened by the situation, he admits things have been far from ideal.

“Yeah, it's tough,” he said after the penultimate day of pre-season testing prior to next weekend's first grand prix in Bahrain.

“I mean, you can see on the on-board, tank-slappers left, right and centre.

“You're bouncing and bumping and it's not quite happy at the moment. But we're trying to tame her.”

Hamilton does not think that the upgrades Mercedes has brought to the Bahrain test are to blame for the struggles, as he instead suspects that the unique conditions of the Middle East are the trigger.


“It’s the wind, it is the bouncing that we have,” he said.

“We still have that this week, and if anything it's worse. So we're just working through lots of different scenarios, trying to figure out how to hold on to the downforce and not have it bouncing as it was in the last test.

“I think everyone's probably in a similar boat. Some have managed to utilise or get around it in a better way.

“But it's difficult out there. It's bumpy, it's slippery. It's sand in the morning. In the morning, it's way too hot. And in the afternoon, it's just dusty.”

Hamilton has faith, however, that Mercedes can work on the issues it is facing to be in good shape.

“It's just hurdles that we're coming across with this new kind of car that everyone's facing in 2022,” he said.

“I'm confident in the team here and back of the factory, that they will figure it out. But it's definitely not going to be a smooth run.”

Russell was only 13th fastest of the 15 drivers to run on Friday. But when asked about suggestions that Mercedes is sandbagging and disguising its true pace, Hamilton dismissed them.

“We would be really, really, really good if we were having all these oversteer moments and having this tacky driving, just to hide our cars [pace]," he replied.

“It's not the case. We definitely have things that we're trying to get through.

“I think, as I said, others are struggling less but who knows? Maybe when we get to next week, we'll have a better understanding.”

F1 TV Pro is 20% off. Now available on Firestick too. Wasn't so LY.

Day three times

1. Perez (Red Bull) 1m33.105s, C4, 43 laps
2. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m33.959s, C4, 82 laps
3. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m34.865s, C4, 91 laps
4. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m34.905s, C5, 68 laps
5. Alonso (Alpine) 1m35.328s, C4, 54 laps
6. Norris (McLaren) 1m35.504s, C3, 39 laps
7. Latifi (Williams) 1m35.634s, C3, 73 laps
8. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m36.029s, C3, 53 laps
9. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m36.217s, C5, 78 laps
10. Magnussen (Haas) 1m38.616s, C2, 38 laps

Haas still having issues, water and fuel leak problems

Morning round-up
- Perez sets fastest time of testing so far in upgraded Red Bull
- Car, which has updated sidepods in particular, hit track after 50 minutes
- Most laps of all (91) for Gasly, who completed near-race distance over three stints
- Haas loses time early in morning to water pressure leak after Magnussen's early start
- Williams changes run plan; will give Latifi majority of afternoon session after Friday fire

Mercedes appear to be very much struggling to gain pace and balance. All RedBull today so far even with 2+ hours left in the last session now.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ha...t-now/8928537/

Hamilton: Mercedes not in hunt for F1 wins right now
Lewis Hamilton believes that Mercedes is not currently in a position to fight for Formula 1 race wins in the wake of its ongoing test struggles.

Mercedes has endured a tricky time in Bahrain this week, with its W13 suffering from porpoising and proving to be a handful for both Hamilton and team-mate George Russell.

With the German manufacturer yet to find an answer for its woes with just one week to go before the opening race of the season at the Sakhir Circuit, Hamilton is downbeat about the team’s immediate prospects.

Speaking on Saturday about if the situation had already prompted some concerns about him not being in a position to fight for the championship, Hamilton said: “Obviously it's a little bit too early to have those kind of thoughts. But at the moment, I don't think we'll be competing for wins.

“But there is a potential within our car to get us there. We have just got to be able to extract it and fix some of the problems, which is what we're working on.”

While Mercedes’ Bahrain struggles appear to be similar to the difficulties it faced in the test 12 months ago, before turning things around to win the first race, Hamilton says the situation is far from being a repeat scenario.

He suggests that the fixes Mercedes need to make to get on top of its car will require more than just set-up tweaks.

HERTA GETS 2022 F1 TESTING PROGRAMME WITH YEAR-OLD McLAREN

https://the-race.com/formula-1/herta...r-old-mclaren/

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...ubles/8953338/

The photo that offers clues about Mercedes’ F1 troubles
Lewis Hamilton’s declaration that Mercedes is not in a position to win Formula 1 races at this stage of the season says much about the extent of its testing troubles.

Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Co-author:
Matt Somerfield
Mar 13, 2022, 5:26 AM

For however much its rivals believe the German car manufacturer is sandbagging, it was clear from observing the W13 on track that it is not in a happy place right now.

The excessive porpoising, lurid oversteer moments and struggles to find consistency through a corner have left it on the back foot.

But while there has been no detailed explanation yet about what its issues are, some late modifications to the car – including the drastic move of cutting away some of its floor structure – have offered us some clues about the team’s difficulties.

As our exclusive photograph (below== picture 1 with white arrow) shows, late on Saturday Mercedes took the saw to the innermost underfloor strake, removing some of the lower edge, in an effort to change flow distribution out and across the forward section of the floor and into the underfloor and diffuser section.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Their final few runs of the session were also completed with the W13’s underfloor having been doused with flo-viz, in order that it might get some visual confirmation of the competing flow structures and hope that it might provide some further feedback on the direction it might need to take to solve the ill effects that the phenomenon creates.

The move to cut the floor shows that Mercedes is trying to find a way to get rid of the porpoising problem without having to raise the ride height so much that it loses its peak downforce.

Trimming, refining and even adding details to certain areas of the floor appears to be the preferred way that Mercedes feels it can get its car in the right window.

The floor design, as a whole, is new and part of the package of parts introduced by the team at the beginning of the test alongside its radical sidepod concept.

And, where the team had previously had a more complex wave-like section on the front edge of the floor, it is now a little more simplified (red arrow).

What’s more, the design of the floor's edge could be considered simplistic when compared with some of its rivals, who might be using the geometry, allowable edge wing and some flexion to keep the floor's attitude more stable.

Meanwhile, Mercedes has been forced to add a metal stay, which prevents the entire floor edge from flexing too much (blue arrow), whereas on the Ferrari, below, this only really has authority over the section rear of the cutout and edge wing.


The last few runs also saw Mercedes run the car with more angle of attack applied on the front wing (you’ll note how steeply inclined the upper flap is relative to the adjustment points), in an effort to shift the car balance forward and put the car more on the nose.

This did seem to have the effect of making the car a little more pointier to help get rid of understeer and also raise the rear a little which could help with its bouncing issues.

Rule tweaks for 2022, including clarification about un-lapping.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...-2022/9025157/

And so it begins! :facepalm:

The idiot Masi violated his own edict from Nurburgring 2020 - So what really changed LOL!????? This is exactly why he was removed. Inconsistency based on precedent. Had ZERO to do with Mercedes. His own rulings are and were the issue.

--Masi defended his actions at that point and, given the fact all lapped runners were able to pass the Safety Car and get away – but there was a particular ruling he went on to seemingly contradict at the weekend:

“There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past,” Masi said at the time.-- The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring

Finished up the newest Drive to Survive on Netflix and the lady and I are juiced for this race season. The Netflix show is all for entertainment purposes, though with them filming at all times, I really wish they had an episode per race.

This F1 season should be another one filled with drama and I am all in.

:iagree: :iagree: