We Rank the Least Competitive Five Cars Before F1 2022 Championship Debut

It's not all based on the final results and lap times because they could be misleading. Instead, we dug deeper to give you the actual reality. We took into calculation the long runs, what drivers and team bosses had to say, reliability, mileage, and so on.Before we start, even if I have some clues and arguments, this is still just a prediction and my opinion. If you are easily getting offended, don't read on.

AlphaTauri - They had a quiet but productive time in the pre-season testing without having significant problems. They racked up a lot of laps, being the third highest in this category, and the car is definitely quick enough to be at the top of a very tight midfield. However, technical directors believe the team still has a lot to learn about their machinery and genuine pace. In Bahrain, we could see some porpoising problems, although the car looked consistent as a whole.

Alpine - The French team had some mechanical issues in Barcelona, but they enjoyed much better final days of tests in Bahrain. In the last week, Alpine looked like they could be anywhere between the front of the midfield or its back. Alpine is another team that suffered from porpoising, but they affirmed that they know what changes should be done. With such a balanced midfield and the inconsistency of Alpine, I couldn't rank them higher.

Haas - It may come as a surprise given that they were the worst team in Spain, but they topped a testing session with Kevin Magnussen, and they were the second fastest overall with Mick Schumacher. Haas was almost certainly running low fuel and higher engine modes than others. Plus, they had different track conditions because they were allowed to run later in the evening as a compromise for a cargo issue, causing them to miss the first hours of the session.

Still, it's an impressive achievement. Kevin Magnussen did a long run in the final morning that was average, only 0.3 seconds off Lewis Hamilton over the same length stint and on the same tire compound. It seems that after Barcelona the car has discovered steroids. In conclusion, the Haas VF22 has a good foundation but a few too many mechanical issues.

Alfa Romeo - The Alfa Romeo team entered the second test behind schedule, but that didn't stop them from making good progress in Bahrain. Bottas did an impressive lap of 1:32:985 to put himself sixth fastest overall. Nevertheless, we know Alfa has a history of running in a very low fuel mode at the end of testing. After a disastrous session in Spain, where Alfa Romeo struggled with reliability, caused mainly by the aggressive porposing, they racked up 343 laps at the Bahrain International Circuit.

They found a good balance with their floor tweaks, where the car is under control and reasonably quick. Still, the big concern with Alfa Romeo is the reliability. They were far from trouble-free in Bahrain, with different problems popping up.

Williams - This may ruffle up some feathers, but the final days of testing were disastrous for the British team. A procedural problem (that Williams didn't specify) led to the rear brakes overheating and catching fire on Nicholas Latifi's car. As a result, it destroyed one of the Canadian three days of running, costing valuable time for him and the team.

The car looks pretty decent on track with expectations of running in the lower half of the midfield pack. In total, the car had plenty of mileage with no real seatbacks, but an issue like the one from Friday made Williams look like they are on the back foot.

There you have it. These are the five worst cars after the final session of testing. Stay tuned for the article with the best ones, and I want to see your arguments and rankings.