Mattia Binotto expects the pecking order of the 2022 Formula 1 grid to become clear in Bahrain, as he believes that Ferrari and their rivals will look to step it up ahead of the opening race of the new season. There have been plenty of mind games since Barcelona, with multiple drivers and teams keen to play down the competitiveness of their cars, even when topping the timesheets. Lando Norris was quick to hush McLaren expectations after their reliable MCL36 ended day one on top of the timesheets. Ferrari soon matched their pace, before making clear that little can be learned from this so soon in the season. George Russell went on to comment that McLaren and Ferrari were beating Constructors' Champions Mercedes , despite Lewis Hamilton putting in the fastest time of the test. However, Binotto - team boss at Ferrari - is expecting to see teams commit to race runs and qualifying-style laps during next week's official pre-season test in Bahrain. That would offer fans the chance to see who really has built the quickest car of the bunch ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which follows just over one week later.
Race runs and qualifying simulations expected in Bahrain
"In Barcelona, the first test was to collect data and, as we said, to try to understand the correlation," explained Binotto, speaking to members of the media including RacingNews365.com . "But when we go to Bahrain, then it will be very close to the first race of the season. We will all, I believe, try to simulate some race simulations, quali[fying] simulations, how we try to extract the most of the performance from the car itself. "So, I think it will be more... The performance relative competitiveness of the teams will be more clear." Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, AlphaTauri and Red Bull all left Barcelona happy with their work during the first pre-season test of 2022, having all registered strong mileage. But Aston Martin, Haas and Alfa Romeo struggled to clock the laps they were looking to learn from ahead of their trip to Bahrain, while Alpine - who registered the lowest top speed of all - suffered problems of their own, with the team having to end their test early due to issues on the car.
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