'I Will Be More Aggressive In 2022' Vows Hamilton - As Verstappen Says Mercedes Have Sandbagged During Winter Testing

The war of words between Mercedes and Red Bull took mere minutes to begin as the first race weekend of the year got under way in Bahrain, with Lewis Hamilton vowing to be more aggressive on track in 2022 – as Max Verstappen accused his rivals of having sandbagged during pre-season running.

Hamilton was facing the media in Friday morning’s press conference ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix when he was asked whether, in light of his often-explosive rivalry with Verstappen in 2021 – which saw the pair come together on multiple occasions before Verstappen was crowned champion in Abu Dhabi – fans would see a more aggressive Lewis Hamilton out on track in 2022.

“I will be a more aggressive driver this year,” replied Hamilton bluntly after a brief pause. “You'll see.”

There are question marks over Mercedes’ performance in 2022, however, with both Hamilton and George Russell having played down their chances at Bahrain’s Official Pre-Season Test a week ago. Mercedes’ slim-sidepodded W13 was certainly seen to be porpoising heavily at times on Bahrain’s main straight – with Hamilton telling reporters at the time that the team would not be fighting for wins in the early stages of the season with the car in its current state.

And Hamilton doubled down on his comments on Friday morning, telling the media: “I don’t expect we’ve made a huge amount of progress.

“The car naturally was fresher coming into the test: you have a new engine, you have new components. But it’s still car from last week. We obviously have learned a lot from the week of testing here and I hope we've taken some sort of step forward in terms of understanding where we position the car.

“I'm hoping my guys have come up with some sort of solution going into this weekend and when I get in the car today it feels better,” Hamilton added. “But I know there [won’t be] a huge change in such a short space of time. So we'll still most likely have some of the problems that we had last week.”

One person who appeared sceptical of Mercedes’ pessimism was Verstappen himself, the reigning champion having been asked on Friday for his view on where the Silver Arrows lay in the pecking order.

“I think they'll be dead last, according to their comments – I think they have an awful car, and they've had that already since 2017 in pre-season testing,” he deadpanned. “No, we'll find out. But they for sure will be competitive.”

Asked about his own goals for 2022, meanwhile, and whether he felt he had a point to prove this season (given a controversial end to the season in Abu Dhabi), Verstappen replied: “I proved that with the most wins, the most poles, the most laps led [in 2021]. People forget that. They only look at Abu Dhabi apparently, but we have more races than Abu Dhabi in the season.”

The talking will stop when Free Practice 1 gets under way for the Bahrain Grand Prix at 1500 local time, with FP2 to follow at 1800.

'I Was In Bed!' - Hülkenberg Reveals Frantic 24 Hours After Being Called Up to Replace Vettel

Aston Martin super-sub Nico Hülkenberg has revealed how soon he found out that he was going to be drafted in place of Covid-hit Sebastian Vettel, and how much preparation he’s had ahead of the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hülkenberg will team up with Lance Stroll for the season-opening Bahrain GP as Sebastian Vettel has tested positive for Covid-19, and Aston Martin’s reserve driver said he only got the call to pack his bags on Thursday.

“Just in the last 24 hours – I got called out of bed pretty much yesterday morning, got the news, packed up, and got going,” he said. “I think it’s obviously a bit of an interesting situation again, so yes, I’m just going to take it lap by lap, session by session.

“I haven’t been in the car for five, six days [of pre-season testing], so it will probably take a few laps to get some of the rust off me and I’ll just take it easy and take my time to get used to it again.”

The 34-year-old stand-in was asked whether he’d recently raced in any series or championship ahead of this weekend.

“Just simulator stuff. Just the Aston sim, that’s the only thing I drove. Real racing, real-life racing? Zero,” he added.

As a result, Hülkenberg anticipated a number of challenges in getting used to the new-breed of F1 cars – just three practice sessions awaiting him before qualifying and the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I think really you have to get the feeling again, to get a good harmony with the car – physically, for sure, the driving fitness is not there – so there’s going to be many challenges,” he said. “There’s going to be the overload of information today so this weekend is just about getting in the car, getting up to speed with it, and getting a good feel.

“The only thing is that I’ve done it before, I know what to expect,” he added.

The German driver stood in for Stroll and Sergio Perez back in 2020, taking points in the 70th Anniversary and Eifel Grands Prix – after facing disappointment in the lead-up to the 2020 British GP.

“I know how it is to walk in the garage, to step in the car, I have that experience – for sure that will help me – but obviously I have the time away… and these cars are completely new. The last time I came back, that was my benefit; I knew what these generation of cars were like and what I was going to get, more or less, but this is obviously a totally white piece of paper now.

“We’re just about to find out and kind of hit the ground running, so I just need to feel it, drive it, and obviously learn as fast as possible. But certainly, not an easy situation.”

That’s not to say that Hülkenberg isn’t elated to have this opportunity.

“Yes, very much. Of course, seeing what it’s like, feeling the Gs again, for sure, the body’s going to be sore too, but just to be back in a Formula 1 car – they’re the fastest cars in the world – is exciting, of course,” he concluded.

Leclerc Says Goal Is to 'Fight For Wins' with Ferrari in 2022 Ahead of Season Opener

On the eve of the season-opening 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Charles Leclerc has reiterated that his goal is to fight for victories with Ferrari again – adding that if he does have the car to fight for a championship, he’s readier than ever.

The Scuderia come off the back of a solid pre-season testing programme and aim this year to win their first constructors’ title since 2008 and their first drivers’ championship since 2007. Leclerc, who is about to embark on his fourth season with Ferrari, previously said that this pre-season testing schedule was the “smoothest” he’d experienced with his team.

On Thursday ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, he added: “I think our objective is to try and fight for wins whenever we can. Realistically, if I need to make a guess now, I would say we are a little bit behind Red Bull. But Mercedes, we don’t know, we really have no idea where they are but for sure they will be in the front, in the top three.

“It’s going to be close, but I still believe we are a bit behind. We’ll have to work hard to try and catch up a little bit.”

As for his personal goals, he echoed the team’s aspirations for 2022. “It’s honestly the same mentality as the team goal: to be fighting for wins. I miss it. I mean, I’ve had two wins in 2019, which are moments that I will never forget, and to be fighting for competitive positions gives you a lot of motivation. So yes, this is definitely my goal, to be fighting at the top again.”

Our Pre-Season Power Rankings put Ferrari second in the order ahead of Bahrain – though there are plenty of unknowns before the opening weekend – and that could mean the team in red might find themselves back at the top again.

Is Leclerc ready for a title fight?

“I feel ready. I mean I’ve always felt ready, you need to feel that way as a driver. If you don’t believe in yourself, then stay home, and I believe in myself and I feel much readier than I was in 2019. I’m more grown, I have more experience, which will help. So yes, I do [feel ready],” he replied.

“But I don’t get carried away. We still need to work extremely hard, and we cannot relax. Because again, we don’t know. This is my guess. So, to prepare for this we need to assume we are still quite a bit behind and that we need to work very hard. This is the mentality now in the team,” said the Monegasque driver.

This weekend, catch all the action from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, where we’ll see which team has made the greatest strides for 2022. F1.com will have live text coverage and timing for every session.

Form Guide: Who's Tipped to Win the Curtain-Raising 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?

The time for talk is very nearly over – but until then, let's look at the Form Guide before Bahrain hosts the very first round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship.

Who's favourite to bring in the new era of F1 with pole position, podiums, points and victory?

Vying for pole

The Etch A Sketch has been thoroughly shaken as F1 embarks on a new era, with brand-new ground effect cars, bigger tyres and more sustainable fuel part of the massive set of changes.

Don't expect the frontrunners to give up ground, however.

In 2021, it was Max Verstappen who began the season with pole position – and after Red Bull's solid pre-season testing programme, the reigning champion looks in good shape for a repeat – the Official Pre-Season Test having taken place at the very same venue.

Verstappen is surely the favourite for pole position here, but he will face a stern test from team mate Sergio Perez, plus the Mercedes and Ferraris – the Silver Arrows and Scuderia having aced qualifying here in previous years...

But can anyone else spring a surprise in F1's brave new era?

Pole positions in the last five years:

2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2018 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

2017 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

In the mix for victory

Verstappen may have taken pole position last year, but he narrowly lost out on victory to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. However, Mercedes might not be right at the top of the leaderboards given their slightly rocky pre-season – though you never count them out.

The Dutchman is again favourite to hit the ground running, and if he does, this would be his first-ever Bahrain GP victory. Bear in mind that pole doesn't always equal a win here; only two of the last five Bahrain GPs have come from P1 on the grid.

Again, the might of Mercedes cannot be ignored (Hamilton having won the last three editions here) – but neither can that of Ferrari, who have won two in a row here with Sebastian Vettel at the wheel. It remains to be seen whether the F1-75 is truly primed to be a race winner.

Wins in the last five years:

2021 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2018 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

2017 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

Podium outsiders

New regulations should mean closer racing, and that could thrust other teams well into the mix here at Sakhir. However, we haven't seen any team other than Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull hit the Bahrain GP rostrum since 2014.

It was back in 2019 when Leclerc took the Scuderia to the top-three. But they've shown renewed pace in pre-season and are expected to be right in the fight for the podium.

As for Mercedes, it feels wrong to call them outsiders, but they didn't seem to have found the pace in pre-season testing. The top-three will be their minimum target.

McLaren may have struggled in the Official Pre-Season Test but they, along with Alpine, do have a small chance of wrangling a solid result here. A podium might be a long shot, but with a well-timed Safety Car (of which there have been six in the last 10 Bahrain GPs) and strategy, who knows what could happen?

Podiums in the last five years:

Mercedes – 9

Ferrari – 3

Red Bull – 3

Points potential

The midfield will once again be highly competitive, and with cars that are designed to be far more raceable than their 2021 iterations, expect movement up and down the field.

Last year's Bahrain Grand Prix saw 129 on-track passes, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda leading those stakes. In fact, every driver bar Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Mick Schumacher (Haas) and Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Guanyu has scored F1 points here.

Those who lead the current points streaks are Verstappen (16 consecutive points finishes), Carlos Sainz (15) and Lando Norris (10), all of whom will be expecting a top-10 on Sunday. Sainz's team mate Leclerc also made it seven consecutive points finishes in the final race of 2021.

Lower down the order, Alpine and Aston Martin (with Nico Hulkenberg subbing in for Sebastian Vettel) are hopeful of scoring points on a regular basis in 2022, and could trouble McLaren from time to time – while AlphaTauri should be in the midfield mix.

Watch out for retirements, however. A new era might bring extra jeopardy in regards to reliability.

Bahrain GP points in the last five years:

Mercedes – 179

Ferrari – 101

Red Bull – 88

McLaren – 58

AlphaTauri/Toro Rosso – 24

Alpine/Renault – 18

Haas – 14

Racing Point/Force India – 10

Alfa Romeo/Sauber – 8

Williams – 8

A New Era Dawns As the F1 Drivers Prepare For the 2022 Season to Get Under Way in Bahrain

We’ve been building up to it for years, but the wait is finally over. Formula 1’s new era, complete with revolutionary sleek new cars, is here and with it comes an unpredictability that could make the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix weekend utterly absorbing.

F1’s technical regulations have been overhauled for this year in a bid to allow the cars to follow more closely, particularly through corners, which in turn should improve the quality of racing.

The early signs are positive, with drivers giving chase to their rivals in pre-season running and finding that it was easier to stay within one second without suffering understeer. How easy it’ll be when we enter racing conditions remains to be seen – but we’ll get our first genuine read of the reality when the lights go out on Sunday.

Qualifying will give us a hint of the pecking order, something that has been even harder to predict after testing this year. Red Bull appear to be the ones to beat. Ferrari are just off in second and Mercedes third, with silver-shod Lewis Hamilton and George Russell looking disheartened by their W13’s form in Bahrain.

But we’ve seen time and time again that testing form doesn’t always translate to race pace. Mercedes are masters in turning a low-key testing performance into a victory-contending one come race one of the year.

Ferrari’s form is intriguing. They had close to the perfect pre-season, and while it might be expecting too much to think they will have leapt up to be title contenders, there’s a quiet confidence inside Maranello that they are much closer to the front and in contention for regular podiums and on occasion race wins.

The rest of the pack is too tricky to call.

There are question marks over McLaren’s reliability, after they finished bottom of the mileage charts last week with a front axle issue forcing them to spend too much time up on stands in the garage. If they can sort that out, they look quick.

Alpine looked all at sea early in pre-season, but pulled it back in the final two days and appear to have hauled themselves into the midfield.

AlphaTauri look pretty handy, Alfa Romeo look quick but fragile, while the Haas VF-22 is refined but hasn’t got enough miles on the clock for the team to be confident about their pace. Aston Martin went under the radar and are too tricky to read, while Williams look reasonable but unspectacular.

Plenty to talk about then, as the F1 family rolled back through the Bahrain paddock gates on Thursday, some having flown back home after testing – Yuki Tsunoda was back in the UK on the simulator, for example – while others have stayed out in between.

They would have been hoping for warmer conditions, though. Strong winds have been battering Bahrain in recent days – and they continued into Thursday, with jumpers and jackets needed, so chilling was the breeze. The forecast suggests conditions will improve as the weekend goes on, which will be a relief to the drivers – as such a strong breeze, and one which is frequently changing direction, would make things difficult.

Traditionally, Thursday is media day – but it’s all change for 2022. Drivers can arrive at the track knowing that they won’t spend much – if any – time in front of a microphone, with most of those duties shifting to Friday morning ahead of the weekend’s first practice session.

That led to a more relaxed feel, with drivers easing themselves into the weekend with a track walk and some engineering meetings. Aside from the chatter about who looked good and who looked to be struggling, the thrill of the prospect of a renewed battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen was high up on the agenda.

Hamilton went off-radar for much of the winter before breaking his silence with some pretty punchy chatter, saying we’ve not seen the best of him yet. Verstappen, meanwhile, appears to have grown even more confident, the Dutchman evidently glowing from the buzz of having the number one on his car after winning his maiden title.

Verstappen is certainly the happier of the two after pre-season running, but there was a perceived gap between them last year heading to race one, and it was Hamilton who turned the tables to take a shock win – making it five years in a row that the driver who won the first race of the season failed to go on to win the title.

There were happier times at McLaren as Daniel Ricciardo was back in the paddock, having spent his second extended stay in a hotel room in four months (the first was when he quarantined on returning home to Australia for the first time in two years) after he tested positive for Covid-19.

The Australian’s trademark smile was plastered across his face, as he felt significantly better and was raring to go. Time will tell whether missing the whole Official Pre-Season Test will hamper his chances of hitting the ground running this weekend, though.

Ferrari look clear of McLaren in terms of performance, with many feeling Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc could be regularly nipping at the heels of Mercedes and Red Bull.

Sainz edged the upper hand last season, finishing a career-best fifth in the drivers’ standings. It’ll be interesting to see how Leclerc responds this year. Both are happy with where the car is, with the power unit looking particularly impressive – but they’re understandably not getting carried away.

There was frustration at Aston Martin, though, with news that Sebastian Vettel is out of this weekend’s race after returning a positive Covid-19 test. Their reserve Nico Hulkenberg is flying over today and will be ready to go for first practice on Friday. It’s not ideal preparation – and he hasn’t yet driven 2022 machinery – but he’s well-versed in his role as super sub, having done so for Racing Point three times in 2020.