It’s been a thrilling first day of Formula 1 testing as we approach the start of the 2022 season. Day one at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has seen the return of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen following the acrimony of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the significant changes made by the FIA to restore order in the F1 world.
Both Hamilton and new teammate George Russell have been out today in the Mercedes W13, while the contenders could run deeper this season with new rules and regulations designed to increase competition. And the early signs are there with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz out well for the Ferrari and McLaren pair Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo making their own case to compete at the top of the grid. Reigning world champion Verstappen has driven the top-secret Red Bull, with their new sidepods the talk of F1 after unveiling their actual car this morning. The Belgian-Dutch driver has ground out a driver-high total of nearly 150 laps to log an abundance of data to aid his quest to defend his title.
We also heard from Hamilton on some wider issues at his press conference, with the Briton pushing for both more diversity and neutrality among the stewards: “I want to see more women in the stewards’ room, last year [we had] maybe one or two,” Hamilton said at pre-season testing in Barcelona. It would be awesome to have a male and female as the two race directors. We need to make sure we’ve got non-biased stewards. Race drivers, some are very, very good friends with certain individuals, some travel with some individuals, take a more keen liking to some. I think [F1 needs] people who have no biases, and are super central when it comes to making decisions.” Recap day one of Formula 1 testing below:
