F1

A new era of Formula 1 is set for an epic first race today with the Bahrain GP, as a resurgent Ferrari battle Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the front while ...

But we definitely won't be quicker than the guys ahead of us." "We don't need to open such big gaps to manage tyres, like we had to do in the past. "But again I still have the same worry that maybe Red Bull is two or three tenths ahead. So, it could be a bit more close racing." Three months after a dramatic end to the 2021 season, F1 is back with all-new cars and all-new opportunities - and the 2022 season-opening Bahrain GP is live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm, with build-up from 1.30pm. A new era of Formula 1 is set for an epic first race today with the Bahrain GP, as a resurgent Ferrari battle Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the front while Lewis Hamilton looks to "hold on" to Mercedes' faster rivals.

Plenty has changed since then with F1 undertaking an overhaul of its rules, changing its race director, and doing away with both the Russian Grand Prix and Moscow-born driver Nikita Mazepin. The Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway at 3pm and, below, you can ...

Any hopes Ferrari had of a procession to the chequered flag were denied when Gasly’s car burst into flames. They were almost side by side as Leclerc came out of the pits and, on cold tyres, Verstappen passed him down the straight with sparks flying from the floor of the Red Bull. Their third lap vying to stay out front came a lap later but Verstappen braked too late, locked up and allowed Leclerc to pass and pull clear. For Verstappen, it proved an evening of frustration and with Red Bull bottom of the Constructors’ Championship after race one. The defending constructors’ champions Mercedes were left relishing third and fourth place where George Russell finished but still have their work cut out to put themselves back into the title fight. “I am never ever doing it again.”

Lewis Hamilton says no set-up change will solve the 'fundamental issues' Mercedes currently faces with its W13 Formula 1 car after slumping to fifth place ...

But he expressed faith that the design concept direction taken by Mercedes was the right one. The guys ahead, they are a lot quicker, six-tenths is a lot of time. We definitely didn't expect to be fifth, and so I'm happy to be in there.

The Bahrain GP is going to be a step into the unknown for all the Formula 1 drivers as they experience their first race with the 2022 cars and tyres.

So it will be an interesting one just to to get the experience on board." The deltas between each tyre compound are a second or more, and it will be a no-brainer for those in the front half of the grid to start on the softs. This will also be the first big test for new race director Niels Wittich, who will really be in the spotlight. "Realistically, we can't really compete pace-wise to the guys that are ahead of us," he says. Alonso predicted: "The tyre is going to be probably the biggest topic tomorrow, the degradation. So, they have to pay attention to start on the medium or the hard, although it is possible for somebody in the back. It will be fascinating to see what kind of role tyre management plays in the race. Maybe the hard is an option at the start for drivers that try a one-stop race, medium/hard." So I'm interested to see what happens, and what is the final effect when they are in real traffic." That opens up a variety of strategy options, and given that the rules no longer require those who made Q3 to start on the tyres they used in Q2, everyone has a clean sheet of paper. In the past, following cars often created degradation, and at abrasive Sakhir it remains to be seen just how much punishment the tyres take. But only on Sunday evening will fans really see how the new aero package performs in a race situation, and what kind of overtaking action is seen.

Formula 1 drivers say the new track limits rules which have been imposed for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix are "very clear" after last year's confusion.

And it was very clear for me.” “You just need to have one wheel within the white line, everywhere, which I think is good.” “It has been very clear,” he said.

Aston Martin estimates that performance compromises it is having to make on its Formula 1 car to overcome porpoising are costing it up to 0.75 seconds per ...

“We will make steps for the next event. We can drop the performance of the car, get rid of the porpoising, but that's no good, really. ”It is a bit of both, you need the two to go together,” he said. “We can put patches on it and get rid of bits of it. And that's where we're trying to aim for the next event. “We've had to make quite a few compromises to the car and car setup to be able to run without it.