Motorsports
McLaren and Ferrari faster at dawn 2022
The McLaren MCL36 and Ferrari F1-75 were the two fastest cars with the soft and medium tire sets respectively ahead of the Mercedes W13 on the first – unexpectedly smooth – day of F1 winter testing in Barcelona, Spain.
McLaren and Ferrari – along with the impressive side air intakes of the Red Bull RB18 – stole the show on the opening day of Formula 1 winter testing for the 2022 season at the Barcelona circuit in Spain.
On the first morning in Montmellier, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari F1-75 was fastest with a time of 1:20.165 – before handing his place to Carlos Saint in the afternoon. With the middle eraser (C3), the Spaniard soon got within two and a half tenths of Monegasco and the Scuderia dominated almost to the end.
But in the final hour of testing, Lando Norris put the soft rubber (C4) in the four corners of the McLaren MCL35, bringing the first year down to 1:19.951, and then to 1:19.568 with a second fresh set of soft tires – for the vanguard to steal in the final .
The Mercedes champion was more than a second away from McLaren, with George Russell a tenth and a half quicker than Lewis Hamilton. The latter lost a lot of time in the pits in the final hour of testing while the team made modifications to the front suspension to correct for mid-stretch hits.
Champion Max Ferstappen had almost no qualms about absolute speed. Instead, he sought and managed to complete the mileage of two regular races, totaling 147 laps, to collect valuable data for the new RB18. And that’s despite having one of the few surprises of the day, a small exit off the track that didn’t leave him stuck in the sand trap.
Only Ferrari exceeded – by six laps – the distance covered by Ferstappen, as all the cars (most with three times the number of laps) showed impressive reliability – considering their youth.
Given that the engines have remained the same since last year, this makes a lot of sense, but even Alpine turned triple-digit laps on the back of Fernando Alonso with its all-new Renault powerplant – adopting split-turbo for the first time.
The Spaniard completed 127 laps, as did the two Mercedes drivers with the new W13, Williams achieved 132 and the only ones to stay low on the lap count were Haas and Alfa Romeo. Both teams had bottoming issues on the VF-22 and C42, resulting in just 43 and 32 laps, respectively.
After the unexpectedly smooth first day of Formula 1 winter testing, the cars will return to the track in Barcelona at 10:00 on Thursday morning (February 24). The first three days of testing this year will end on Friday afternoon, and the second will take place in Bahrain on March 10-12.
Barcelona Tests – Day 1
1. Norris (McLaren) 1:19.568
2. Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.597
3.Ferrari +0.848
4. Russell (Mercedes) +1,216
5.Hamilton (Mercedes) +1.361
6. Vettel (Aston Martin) +1.708
7. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) +2,070
8. Alpine +2,178
9. Ferstappen (Red Bull) +2,678
10. Boots (Alfa Romeo) +3,004
11. Albon (Williams) +3,192
12. Schumacher (Haas) +3,358
13. Latifi (Williams) +3,759
14. Walk (Aston Martin) +3.811
15. Mazepin (Haas) +4,937
16. Button (Alfa Romeo) +6.341
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
Motorsports
F1 pilot’s brother became Ukrainian pilot’s rival in Formula 4
Thomas Berman, the younger brother of Haas Formula 1 team driver Oliver Berman, will officially take part in Italian Formula 4 and Euro 4 in the 2026 season.
Thomas will represent the VAR team colours.
The 16-year-old Briton spent last year in British Formula 4, where he scored one win and finished eighth in the final season standings.
But the ones that are considered the most prestigious and promising are the Italian and European Formula 4 championships. They are often chosen by young pilots for further career advancement. In addition, Thomas’ older brother Oliver Berman also competed in these series and became the Italian Formula 4 champion in 2021 with 11 wins.
Let us also remind you that Ukrainian Alexander Bondarev will compete in the same championships with the Prima Racing team in the 2026 season. The Ukrainian pilot does not hide his ambitions and has repeatedly expressed his intention to fight for the championship title.
Bondarev now participates in Middle East Formula 4 in preparation for the European leg of the season. After the first stage, he took first place in the general rankings and became the leader in the rankings.
Thomas Berman will compete in the Formula Winter Series as part of his preparations.
The competition between the current “four” promises to be extremely high, and the appearance of the younger brother of the Formula 1 pilot will only increase interest in the series.
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Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
Ex-Ferrari boss: “We were disappointed by the rule changes. We had the best car”
Former Ferrari boss Ross Brawn said the team was at a disadvantage due to the FIA’s changes to the rules.
The Scuderia was virtually unbeatable in the early 2000s. Michael Schumacher single-handedly won 48 of 85 races in the first half of the decade, while Rubens Barrichello added nine more victories.
In an interview with F1.com, Brown named the 2004 Ferrari car as his favorite. That year the team won not only three races but confidently won its sixth consecutive title in the Constructors’ Championship.
The legendary designer and strategist admitted that Ferrari was stopped after that due to changes in tire rules and that the team had become too dominant.
“Every year we put in extra effort and every year we did things a little better. That made the 2004 car, in my opinion, the best ever.”
“We were disappointed by the changes to the tire rules after that, but I think we did so well and had to be stopped somehow. This incredible car could not have been stopped any other way because everything worked so well for us.”
“Having lived on the other side of the fence ever since, I can understand Bernie’s frustration. [Экклстоуна, тогдашнего руководителя Формулы-1]Max [Мосли, тогдашнего президента FIA] and supporters. It was a shock when we didn’t win, not a shock when we won. “It was a very special car.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
Two Formula 1 teams reached the limit of new rules
Formula 1 is preparing to enter a new era of regulations. Starting from the 2026 season, the aerodynamics and power plants of the vehicles will change significantly. Many people are already calling these innovations the biggest in the history of the championship.
In addition, the physical parameters of the machines will also change. The cars will become smaller: 10 cm narrower, 20 cm shorter and also 32 kg lighter; minimum weight will drop to 768 kg.
However, reaching this new cap will be extremely difficult for most teams. New power plants include a significantly larger share of the electrical component – with the internal combustion engine the ratio will now be 50/50, which will make the unit heavier. From the new season, there will also be a rule requiring at least 55% of the vehicle area to be painted, and new active aerodynamic features with real-time mode switching will be introduced.
All of this increases the weight of the car, and teams will need to simultaneously work to increase efficiency, reliability and reduce the weight of the cars. Audi is reportedly already the first team to reach the minimum points mark. Earlier, information also appeared that the German manufacturer replaced the mechanism for switching active aerodynamic modes with an electronic one.
There have been recent reports that Alpin can also reach a minimum weight of 768 kg. Of course, the lower the mass, the faster the car. But the question remains whether this will compromise reliability in the early stages of the new regulation. We will learn the answer to this very soon.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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