Bahrain F1 2022 testing: Latest technical images

Mercedes W13 detail

Looking over the shoulder of the Mercedes W13 to see the extreme sidepod solution introduced by the team at the second test. It’s also a great way of seeing just how wide the upper side impact spar (SIS) fairing is when compared with the main sidepod bodywork.

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Mercedes W13 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Rearward shot of the Mercedes W13 gives us a clear view of the rear cooling outlet and the supplementary cooling gill panels on the sidepods and engine cover.

Mercedes W13 detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

This three-quarter view of the W13 gives a little more perspective on how narrow the main body of the car is by virtue of how the floor expands outwards from it. Also note the pitot tubes that have been placed around the leading edge of the rear wing to help collect flow field information that can be studied later.

Ferrari F1-75 sidepods detail

Photo by: Uncredited

Ferrari has a small update for the F1-75 in Bahrain, with a strake extending upwards from the leading edge of the floor to help divert the airflow in that region (blue arrow).

Ferrari F1-75 side detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A look beneath the covers of the Ferrari F1-75 gives us a great view of what’s going on inside the sidepods. Note the flow conditioning vanes housed in the panel behind the radiators.

Ferrari F1-75 engine

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Another view, this time from the right-hand side, of the Ferrari F1-75 with the bodywork off, this time including the engine cover.

Williams FW44 rear

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Let’s take a look at the Williams FW44 too, as the team had the bodywork off as it worked on the car. It’s clear to see how mounting some of their coolers in the saddle position above the power unit has helped narrow the sidepod bodywork.

Mercedes W13 engine

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Without the bodywork attached on the Mercedes W13 we can see it hasn’t placed a great deal on the car’s centreline, even though it features those very narrow sidepods.

Haas VF-22 sidepods detail

Photo by: Uncredited

A look at the floor edge details on the Haas VF-22 with a cutout just ahead of the rear wheel, also note the floor stay that’s been deployed to help try and reduce how much the floor flexes at speed.

Haas VF-22 sidepods detail

Photo by: Uncredited

At the front of the floor we can see the strake setup that Haas has gone for, which includes two strakes with sections above the floor level.

Haas VF-22 front wing detail

Photo by: Uncredited

A close-up of the front wing on the Haas VF-22, complete with its interesting endplate design, which features the scalloped leading edge and wishbone-like diveplane.

McLaren MCL36 side detail

Photo by: Uncredited

McLaren’s floor stole some of the headlines during the first test owing to a more complex design than some of its rivals, so here’s a closeup of the floor and its edge wing.

Steering wheel for the Alfa Romeo C42

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The back of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo steering wheel shows that the Finn has adopted the wishbone-style clutch paddle layout with finger sockets that his ex-teammate at Mercedes uses, albeit he’ll use his left hand to modulate the paddle and Lewis Hamilton uses his right.

Mechanics wheel the Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri AT03, fitted with a sensor rig, out of the garage

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A kiel probe rake fitted behind the AlphaTauri AT03 as the team looks to gather data on the airflow as it passes by the rear wheel assembly and through the diffuser.

Mechanics wheel the Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri AT03, fitted with a sensor rig, out of the garage

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A much taller kiel probe rake was mounted behind the front wheel assembly, placed to gather data about the airflow's passage in that region of the car.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A522

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Alpine with a slightly revised livery and both the cooling gill panels open in Bahrain, whereas the engine cover ones were covered up in Barcelona.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, with test equipment attached

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Kiel probe rakes behind the front wheel and suspension assembly on the Red Bull RB18 - also note the cooling gills that appeared in Barcelona and will help deal with higher temperatures in Bahrain.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13, with test equipment fitted

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Kiel probe rake behind the front wheel and suspension assembly on the Mercedes W13 – also note the sensor mounted on the edge of the floor, ahead of the rear tyre.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, with technical equipment fitted

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Kiel probe rake in front of the rear wheel and suspension assembly on the Ferrari F1-75.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13, with technical equipment fitted

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

This side-on view of the Mercedes W13 shows how large the SIS fairing is, as it forms a manta ray-like wing profile. Also note the team was only running the forward cooling gills during this run too.

Guanyu Zhou, Alfa Romeo C42, with technical equipment fitted

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A rear three-quarter view of the Alfa Romeo C42 which is outfitted with kiel probe rakes behind the front wheel assembly and flo-viz paint on the rear suspension.

Mercedes W13 front wing and front suspension

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A look at the internal details of the front brake assembly on the Mercedes W13, noting the difference in size given the larger wheel well from the introduction of the 18” wheels.

McLaren MCL36 front brake

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

For comparison, here’s a look at the arrangement on the McLaren MCL36, who has opted to enclose the brake disc.

Williams FW44 side details

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Williams has fitted the FW44 with a large cooling gill panel in Bahrain to provide additional assistance.

Mercedes W13 floor detail

Photo by: Uncredited

A close-up of the floor section ahead of the rear tyre on the Mercedes W13. Also note the ‘mouse house’ hole in the sidewall of the diffuser, which helps with the intense converging flow structures in this region.

Aston Martin AMR22 side detail

Photo by: Uncredited

The gills on top of the Aston Martin AMR22 sidepods, some of which have been closed off as the team don’t require the maximum amount of cooling they provide.

Alpine A522 rear detail

Photo by: Uncredited

Red Bull Racing RB18 sensor details, front suspension

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Kiel probe rake behind the front wheel assembly on the Red Bull RB18 – also note the double element outer edge strakes.

Red Bull Racing RB18 side detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Overview of the Red Bull RB18’s floor and sidepods.

Mercedes W13 mirror

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Close-up of the SIS fairing on the Mercedes W13 along with the vortex generators which are mounted atop it and will work in combination with the mirrors and their associated aero tricks.

Red Bull Racing RB18 front brake

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A look at the front brake assembly on the Red Bull RB18 without the brake drum attached gives us a view of their solution that encloses the brake disc.

Guanyu Zhou, Alfa Romeo C42

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Guanyu Zhou at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo C42. Note the ride height sensor mounted on the edge of the floor.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Flo-viz painted on the Red Bull RB18 rear wing as the team looks to get visual confirmation that the airflow is behaving as predicted.

Alex Albon, Williams FW44

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Williams with a pair of kiel probe rakes mounted behind the outboard section of the diffuser on the FW44.

Alex Albon, Williams FW44

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A nice overview of the Williams FW44 from the side with the large cooling gill panel and the passthrough duct on the edge of the sidepod. Also note the triangular shaped edge wing that’s detached from the floor.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

A rearward shot of the Mercedes W13 showing the sloping, jelly mould-like sidepod design.

Mercedes W13 rear brake

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A good view of the rear brake and suspension assembly on the Mercedes W13, along with the addition of a metal stay to help prevent the floor from flexing too much.

Mercedes W13 front wing comparison

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

A comparison of the two front wing specifications we’ve seen so far at Mercedes, with the upper image from Barcelona and the lower from Bahrain. The upper flap has been altered on the trailing edge in order to promote a revised flow regime across the front tyre (red arrow), while the inner section of the wing that’s connected to the body of the nose is now more loaded (blue arrow).