"It's a whole new era for our sport and anything can happen," said defending champion Max Verstappen.

“Everything is so new that there are a lot of unknowns before the first race.

Indeed, the new technical regulations, which have completely changed the aerodynamics of the single-seaters, are supposed to reduce performance gaps.

We are still waiting for the main protagonists of 2021: the Dutchman from Red Bull, 24, crowned at the end of the suspense - and in the controversy -, as well as the Briton from Mercedes, 37, still in search of a record eighth world crown.

We also see the return of Ferrari, which intends to take advantage of these changes to reconnect with success after two empty seasons.

Charles Leclerc with his Ferrari during F1 pre-season testing at the Bahraini circuit of Sakhir on March 12, 2022 Mazen Mahdi AFP/Archives

In view of the pre-season tests, already on the Bahraini circuit of Sakhir, the Scuderia seems to have the means from this first round out of 23 (a record!).

"Ferrari seems faster"

"They're fast, you can see that clearly in the long stints as well as the short ones," Verstappen remarked last week.

"Ferrari seems to be the fastest and maybe Red Bull, then us or McLaren, I don't know," said Lewis Hamilton.

And the Briton warns: "At the moment, I don't think we are going to fight for victory but the car has the potential to get there" in the future.

Formula 1: the changes for 2022 AFP

Realism?

Fatalism?

Bluff?

Last year, Hamilton managed to win in Bahrain after being dominated by Red Bull throughout the pre-season (before fighting for the title until the last lap of the last GP).

This time, the seven-time world champion assures him, the situation is different.

As for Verstappen, he displays euphemised ambitions knowing his winning temperament tending knife between the teeth.

"The car looks good and the team is in a good position, comments the Dutchman. The most important thing for us in Bahrain is to achieve a stable weekend, without too many problems, and we hope to score a lots of points."

Vettel positive for Covid-19, Ricciardo back

For McLaren (which finds the Australian Daniel Ricciardo cured of Covid-19), Aston Martin (deprived of the German Sebastian Vettel, positive and replaced by his compatriot Nico Hülkenberg), Alpine, AlphaTauri, Haas, Williams and Alfa Romeo, the positions are also not assured.

The qualifications at nightfall on Saturday (6:00 p.m. local / 4:00 p.m. French) will provide the first elements of the answer.

The race at the same time on Sunday will confirm.

Daniel Ricciardo driving his McLaren during pre-season testing at the Montmélo circuit, near Barcelona, ​​on February 25, 2022 LLUIS GENE AFP / Archives

This GP will also be an opportunity to check whether the change of regulations keeps all its promises and allows the single-seaters to follow each other more closely and the drivers to attack more easily.

Free practice on Friday could however be disrupted by the strong winds that have been blowing on the island since Wednesday.

Off track, as every year since the 2011 Shia revolt in Bahrain, NGOs and European parliamentarians are also speaking out against human rights violations in the kingdom and the plight of political prisoners, one of whom wrote to Hamilton for thank him for his support.

In the light of the sporting sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, they also denounce the inaction of the organizers of the championship in the face of the military campaign in Yemen by several Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia , United Arab Emirates, Bahrain) which host F1.

© 2022 AFP