What we learned from the first day of F1 2022 pre-season testing
The 2022 Formula 1 pre-season tests got underway on Wednesday at Barcelona, where Lando Norris set the pace for McLaren. There's intense interest because of the rules overhaul for this year - so here are the standout lessons we picked up from the paddock...
Seldom do the Formula 1 rules change quite so extensively as they have done for 2022. And the appetite for the first day of running at the Barcelona circuit on Wednesday reflected this magnitude. Not because any definitive pecking order would be established, or we’d realise if the new cars can follow one another more closely to inspire greater racing. It was instead to see how the design offices of the 10 teams had chosen to skin their respective cats.
Lewis Hamilton assumed the role of plain-clothes detective as he scouted the handiwork of Mercedes’ rivals in the pitlane in the morning. The usually laidback Daniel Ricciardo was the “most excited” he’d been for testing in a long while. There was a rush among the media to see who could publish analysis of the lesser-spotted Red Bull RB18 the fastest.
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