On Thursday, a total of 19 of the 20 drivers were present on the F1 grid as the official pre-season testing in Bahrain commenced- Daniel Ricciardo was absent
With just over a week left until the start of the 2022 Bahrain GP, the F1 grid was finalized on Thursday. As the drivers gathered together on the grid, old friends and teammates reunited.
Ferrari star Carlos Sainz was spotted investigating Red Bull’s new RB18 along with his former teammate Lando Norris, who will once again drive for McLaren this season. However, Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo was absent on Day 1 of the pre-season testing at Bahrain.
Last season’s title-rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were also seen in close proximity and the duo was stood next to each other during the photoshoot as well. Even Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was all smiles as he greeted the Mercedes superstar.
Hamilton then took some time out to meet with his former teammate Valtteri Bottas, who joined Alfa Romeo after leaving the Silver Arrows last year. The Finn, who will partner rookie Guanyu Zhou, was replaced by George Russell at Mercedes.
Sainz was then pictured greeting his idol and former Ferrari star Fernando Alonso. Alonso will be racing alongside Estaban Ocon for Alpine this season but he made sure to greet his fellow Spanish countryman on Thursday.
All 10 F1 teams all had their cars on the grid, with the drivers standing alongside their respective cars for a photo op. The cars were placed in the order of the teams’ finishes in the 2021 constructor standings.
What to expect at pre-season testing ahead of Bahrain GP?
The 2022 session comes with a significant amount of rule changes, and teams are now testing the limits of their new-look cars during the three-day pre-season event.
The 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) road course in Sakhir will be a great circuit to test the speed of the new cars. Last season, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton came out victorious in Bahrain, which was also the opening race of the campaign.
However, on Thursday, Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly went fastest, with the Ferrari duo behind him on the timesheets.
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