The schedulepublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
It's set to be the biggest Formula 1 season ever with 23 races held, these are the first 10 of them...
Image source, .Summary
Ferrari's Leclerc on pole, Verstappen 2nd, Hamilton 5th
McLaren's Ricciardo out in Q1; Albon and Norris out in Q2
Hulkenberg replaces Vettel in Aston Martin after positive Covid-19 test
Get involved: #bbcf1
The schedulepublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Image source, .The Secret Aerodynamicst - 'Extreme anxiousness and high excitement' before Bahrain GPpublished at 14:31 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Formula 1 cars that start the new season in Bahrain this weekend represent the biggest year-on-year change for 40 years - and possibly ever.
Aerodynamicists in the F1 teams - such as myself - have been working on their designs on and off since 2019, and this weekend represents a time of extreme anxiousness and high excitement as we find out for the first time how well we have interpreted the new rules.
To the untrained eye, the cars may not look that different from those that ended the 2021 season. But in fact the rule book has been thrown out and the regulations started again from scratch.
The shape of almost every part of the car has changed. Not only that, but there is a bigger visual difference between the cars from the various teams than there has been for some time.
Postpublished at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Could it be a Red Bull front row?
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End of twitter post'Let's go'published at 14:25 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
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End of twitter post'I don't think we have seen Verstappen's best lap'published at 14:23 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports ExtraCertainly Max Verstappen has more in his pocket.
I don't think we have seen his best lap as a driver, which is daunting for the rest of field, probably bar Leclerc.
Postpublished at 14:21 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
It's qualifying at 15:00 GMT and these were the times from third practice earlier on. If this is anything to go by, it's between Red Bull and Ferrari for pole position.
Image source, F1get involved Get Involvedpublished at 14:17 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
#bbcf1
Alan Worrall: Max was a worthy winner and holding all this over to the start of the season is more the same of wanting to make a spectacle out of the sport like the last lap 'drama'. I love Drive to Survive but trying to make F1 more dramatic for Netflix is not worth the "human error".
Adam Bond: “Human error”. Rules changed, Masi gone, but let’s keep him the champion even though we’ve admitted everything that happened was wrong. Just disgraceful.
'We're going to give it everything'published at 14:14 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Before this weekend's action started, Lewis Hamilton wrote on Twitter that he is back "physically and spiritually".
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End of twitter postHamilton 'not carrying any baggage' after title controversypublished at 14:12 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writerLewis Hamilton says he is not carrying "any baggage" into the new season after the controversial end to last year's championship fight.
The Mercedes driver begins his quest for a record eighth world title this weekend.
Speaking before the FIA report was released, he said: "I don't hold any grudges. I don't have any baggages going into the season. It is important to let go.
"All I can do is try and shape what's ahead. I can't change the past."
Verstappen and Red Bull ready for another seasonpublished at 14:07 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Media caption, F1 'doesn't need to heal' - Verstappen
Defending Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen talked to BBC sports news correspondent Natalie Pirks before the start of the 2022 season.
The 24-year-old says F1 "does not need to heal" after last year's controversial title decider.
But Verstappen said there needs to be more teams fighting at the front.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 14:06 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
#bbcf1
It's an hour to qualifying so we want your predictions for that, but also your reaction to that report from the FIA into what happened at last season's title decider.
'Human error' to blame at Abu Dhabi GPpublished at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in BahrainFormula 1's governing body has said "human error" was responsible for the incorrect application of rules in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
But the FIA said in its report into the controversial ending to last year's World Championship that race director Michael Masi had acted "in good faith".
Masi has since been removed from his post and F1 race control restructured. The report by the FIA world motorsport council ruled the result and the World Championship "valid and final".
The report is final confirmation that Red Bull's Max Verstappen was the 2021 F1 world champion, not that that was ever expected to be in doubt in the process.
Published by the FIA 97 days after the race, it found a number of key errors were made which led to the single final racing lap on which the destiny of the world title changed hands from Lewis Hamilton to Verstappen.
Image source, Getty ImagesWelcome backpublished at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Hello again. How about some breaking news to start us off?
Back at 14:00 GMTpublished at 13:18 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Time for a quick break and we'll be back at 14:00 GMT with an hour's build-up to qualifying at 15:00.
Verstappen tops final practicepublished at 13:17 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writerRed Bull’s Max Verstappen underlined his status as favourite for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix as he set the pace in final practice.
The world champion was 0.096 seconds quicker than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, both drivers not completely satisfied with the quality of their fastest laps.
Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was third ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
Mercedes appeared to have improved their car overnight and Russell and Lewis Hamilton looked more competitive than they had in Friday practice.
Hamilton was only sixth fastest behind the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz but did not go out for a second run late in the session as the other top runners did.
Kevin Magnussen’s Haas headed what in the past would have been called the midfield in seventh place ahead of the Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and Lando Norris’ McLaren.
Qualifying at 15:00 UK time (18:00 local) will be the first definitive read of the cars’ true performance in the new season.
Don't miss the Chequered Flag Podcastpublished at 13:10 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Qualifying doesn't start until 15:00 GMT so there's plenty of time for you to listen to the Chequered Flag Podcast, so press the link below.
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End of twitter postVerstappen fastest in third practicepublished at 13:04 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
BreakingJust as he was in the second session yesterday, Max Verstappen is the fastest.
He takes it with a lap of 1:32.544, but only 0.096 faster than Charles Leclerc's best effort. Sergio Perez rounds off the top three, then come George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
Outside the top six, the returning Kevin Magnussen is seventh, the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are eighth and ninth respectively with Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin 10th.
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End of twitter post'It's a bit of a worry for McLaren'published at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports ExtraIt's a bit of a worry for McLaren, Norris is in 10th.
Riccardo went out and tried to do a simulation qualifying run, he's down in 14th, a good four tenths off his teammate.
Times with three minutes to gopublished at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1:32.544
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.096
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.247
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0.391
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.509
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.577
All on soft tyres.
Postpublished at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022
Some pitstop practice for Max Verstappen's crew and they have problems with the front left tyre. Better on Saturday in practice than in Sunday's race.