These Could the Be Five Championship Contenders for the 2022 F1 Season

Aston Martin - Even though they were the quietest team during testing (we are saying that because they ended only nine fastest), we know that Aston Martin (even in the Force India days) kept a low profile during testing in the past. Still, they couldn't hide everything from our eagle eyes.

Aston Martin caught everyone's attention with its long-run pace and reliability, suggesting that the AMR22 could threaten the front teams. It's a sure thing that the British crew will be one of the best-prepared teams for this week's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Mercedes - After these Bahrain tests, Mercedes doesn't look in any condition to compete with the top three teams in our ranking. In Spain, they suffered from extreme porpoising, which seems hasn't been solved yet. The W13 single-lap pace wasn't impressive at all, but Mercedes is well known for turning the engines down in tests just to surprise everybody when the season starts.

If the Silver Arrows could resolve the porpoising problem, that would be a big step ahead. However, we don't know how close they are to solving this and how fast they can. In its current state, it's no evidence that Mercedes is close to the pace of Mclaren, Red Bull or Ferrari. They are still a wildcard.

McLaren - After Barcelona, McLaren was the only team that got the porpoising problem under control. But the latest session wasn't so good for them. Firstly, Lando Norris did all the running in Bahrain after Daniel Ricciardo being tested positive with Covid-19.

As a result, the British squad only racked up 200 laps, the lowest of all teams. Secondly, McLaren battled overheating front brakes, resulting in components that could be used on low fuel mods and on shorter runs. The British crew couldn't eliminate the overheating on the front brakes, but they did some tweaks that lessened the problem.

From an aerodynamic standpoint, the MCL 36 it's a fantastic piece of engineering. If the engineers cannot get over the brake's problems, the car's true potential won't be visible, though.

Ferrari - The most impressive team during testing. They amazed everyone with their new, improved engine. Throughout testing, at any given moment, the Ferrari was at the top of the timesheets, with a fast, reliable, and consistent car.

The F1-75 completed more mileage than anyone else across all testing days. People around the paddock, like Lewis Hamilton, say that Ferrari is a potential winner at the season opener. They would definitely have a big chance to win, showing a tremendous long-run pace and good engine performance. The Ferrari appears to be Red Bull's closest challenger at the moment.

Red Bull - Coming with an updated car in Bahrain, Red Bull topped everyone. Defending World Champion Max Verstappen was the quickest on both single lap and long-run pace. The Red Bull looked really impressive on the track, with good balance and traction, and at the same time having excellent reliability. Putting all this in the equation, Red Bull appears to have the most potent car out there.

These tests are only some glimpses of the actual performance, but they hint at some specific things. We still don't know how much margin Ferrari has for improving, if McLaren can resolve their braking problems or how far Mercedes really is from the top spots. But with less than one week to go until lights out in Bahrain, these appear to be the strongest teams after testing.