Magazine: F1 Bahrain GP report and review

F1 couldn’t have asked for much more from the 2022 season opener. Its most famous and successful team returned to winning ways, there was a fine battle for the lead, late drama, and the new ground-effect cars seem to be able to run close together.

Most neutrals will be pleased to see Ferrari back on top after two winless seasons. Alex Kalinauckas explains how Charles Leclerc led home Carlos Sainz Jr and why Max Verstappen’s rapid Red Bull charge was thwarted.

The RB18 looks like it could be the fastest car, but Verstappen – who fought Leclerc superbly and cleanly – already has some ground to make up in the points race. And then there’s Mercedes…

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were never in contention for victory and were lucky to finish third and fourth. Matt Kew outlines why Mercedes were right to play down expectations after pre-season testing and Jake Boxall-Legge takes a look at the solutions the legendary squad tried in Bahrain to address its porpoising problems.

It was a busy weekend elsewhere and Gary Watkins was on hand in Sebring to witness both Alpine’s defeat of a beleaguered Toyota in the World Endurance Championship curtain raiser and the rollercoaster closing stages of IMSA’s 12 Hours encounter.

Even tighter was the finish to the IndyCar round in Texas. David Malsher-Lopez explains why Josef Newgarden went from settling for second place to snatching victory from Penske team-mate Scott McLaughlin by 0.0669 seconds.

There are also reports from the Formula 2, F3, NASCAR Cup, S5000 and MotoGP races, as well as the best stories from the Silverstone and Brands Hatch club events from the weekend.

Marcus Simmons plays tribute to the late Tim Jackson, who did so much for UK motorsport, while Nurburgring