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The second F1 pre-season test in Bahrain is just around the corner. This test is the final opportunity for each team to make conclusive changes to their cars before racing begins a week later. In this piece, we take a look at what would be the one key target area for each team during the second pre-season test.
#1 Mercedes – Performance
Mercedes had a solid first F1 pre-season test. The car looked good on track and there weren't any major reliability issues either. Where it seemed to lag, however, was in the lap times. When it comes to how fast the car is, the German manufacturer might not be a clear front-runner yet.
In the second test, the team is expected to bring a raft of upgrades, hoping to find significant performance as compared to its rivals.
#2 Red Bull – Reliability
Red Bull checked almost all of the boxes in the first F1 pre-season test. It wasn't, however, as seamless as it would have hoped. The team missed a part of track time due to a minor gearbox issue that affected its running. For the second test, the team will be looking to keep things smoother and hope for a clean run.
#3 McLaren – Slow-speed performance
Although McLaren somewhat sprung a surprise with the way the car punched out lap times again and again, the car still seemed to have a glaring weakness. The car, although suffering already with the nature of the new regulations in the slow corners, was probably struggling the most as compared to the rest of the grid.
It was the same weakness that had plagued the team earlier in 2021 as well. In the second F1 test, the team will be pushing towards eradicating these problems and becoming more well-rounded.
#4 Ferrari – Understanding the car better
Compared to the top two teams Mercedes and Red Bull, Ferrari has opted not to bring a significant upgrade package to the second F1 test. Hence, while the aforementioned teams will be trying out new parts on the car, Ferrari will be looking to unlock the true potential of what they have at their disposal before the first race.
#5 Alpine – A cleaner run across three days
For Alpine, the target is simple: get rid of the issues that plagued the first F1 test and put together an uninterrupted run for the team. The team is yet to unlock the potential of the car and will be looking forward to three days of running and data collection.
#6 Alpha Tauri – Understanding the car better
Alpha Tauri had a somewhat customary first pre-season F1 test. The car looked great on the track and did great lap times. The team appears well entrenched in the midfield yet again.
For the test, it will be looking to keep making those incremental gains and try to tick all the boxes for the first race of the season.
#7 Aston Martin – Improved performance and reliability
Aston Martin was a bit under the radar when it came to the first pre-season F1 test. It ticked almost all the tasks that needed to be done. The team, however, does appear to be more of a midfield contender than a front-runner and has had minor reliability issues.
Aston Martin is bringing a set of upgrades to the second test. Consequently, it will be looking to make progress and jump to the front of the midfield queue at the very least.
#8 Williams F1 – Keep up the good work and unlock more performance
The Williams operations unit is one of the best on the grid and it showed yet again when the team ran like clockwork at Barcelona. The team covered a decent number of laps and the car ran without too many issues.
What was slightly surprising, however, was that the car seemed a bit underdeveloped for the first test. There are upgrades planned and the team will be looking to build from the solid foundation it has created.
#9 Haas F1 – Keep the focus on the track
Haas has had a nightmare of a start to the season. After a forsaken 2021 season, where it focussed entirely on its 2022 challenger, the team had the second-lowest number of laps in the first test. All the focus, however, was entirely on what was happening off the track as the team's primary sponsor, the Russian giant, Uralkali, was under the scanner.
Now, with all of the Russian association out of the picture, the team will be looking to start with a clean slate and work on the 2022 challenger. It is already on the backfoot with a delayed cargo holding them back but will be hoping to make the most out of this test.
#10 Alfa Romeo – Reliability
Alfa Romeo was the surprise casualty of reliability issues in the first test. The team suffered from issues on all three days and it left them without any significant running. Early impressions of the new car are not as great as the team is still in a learning process with it. As part of the test, the team will be focussing entirely on getting the laps in and improving reliability significantly.
