How F1 drivers and teams are preparing for 2022

The 2022 F1 season officially kicks off in Bahrain on 18-20 March, but there has been plenty of action happening before the lights go out for the first race.

With car launches beginning very soon, as well as pre-season testing, the drivers and teams are busy preparing for an exciting few weeks ahead.

RacingNews365.com has rounded up the developments and news via social media.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz each took part in a track session at Ferrari's Maranello facility, with both heading out onto the Fiorano circuit with the 2018 SF71-H car.

The Scuderia will unveil their 2022 challenger on 17 February.

Aston Martin

Meanwhile, at Aston Martin's base in the UK, Sebastian Vettel paid a visit to the team and looked happy to be back at work.

The British outfit will be one of the first to launch their new car, with the event set for 10 February.

Mercedes

Over at Mercedes, their new driver George Russell has been spending time with the squad and seems to have started a fashion trend...

Russell will most likely be back in his racing attire when the Silver Arrows unveil the W13 on 18 February.

Red Bull

There might be a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes, but Red Bull still found time to take a moment to celebrate Sergio Perez's birthday. The Mexican was joined by Max Verstappen and Christian Horner as they marked the occasion with cake.

The Milton Keynes-based squad have yet to confirm their launch date.

Alpine

For the Alpine team, the best way to prepare for going racing seems to be... going racing. The French squad shared a video of Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Daniil Kvyat enjoying some karting action.

As for their new F1 car, the A522 will break cover on 22 February.

McLaren

Over at McLaren, there was much excitement as the MCL36 was fired up for the first time.

The car will get its proper debut at the 11 February launch event.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo are the only team to be fielding an all-new driver line-up in 2022. The Swiss outfit shared some pictures of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou getting acquainted with their new environment.

There has been no news yet of when the C40 will be launched.

AlphaTauri

Just like Ferrari, AlphaTauri have already been getting some laps in, with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda both taking part in a track session around Imola, driving the 2020-spec AT01.

The new AT03 car will be launched on 14 February.

Haas

Haas gave their social media fans a glimpse into Nikita Mazepin's preparations for the upcoming season. The Russian posed for a photo with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo whilst at the gym.

There has not yet been an announcement on when the team's 2022 car will be unveiled.

Williams

Meanwhile, at Williams, both returning driver Nicholas Latifi and new arrival Alex Albon have been spending time at the team's base in Grove, and have already been hard at work on the simulator.

Williams are amongst those yet to confirm their 2022 launch date.