F1! Bahrain Grand Prix 2022: Live Free Stream, Watch on Reddit?
How to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix 2022: UK start time, TV channel, Sky Sports live stream and race schedule
The Bahrain Grand Prix marks the opening of the 2022 season in Formula 1 and there are plenty of talking points ahead of the race
Watch Now : Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 Live Free
Watch : Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 Live Stream Free
The F1 drivers pose for a photo on the grid with their cars during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 10, 2022 in Bahrain, Bahrain.
F1 returns for the 2022 season with the Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2022 Formula One season gets underway in the desert this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen renew rivalries with the Brit’s new Mercedes teammate George Russell, the advancing threat of Ferrari and the ambitious McLarens all hoping to get involved in the title scrap.
A major rule shake-up provides a big sense of unpredictability to the new F1 campaign. Aerodynamics have been overhauled, wheels bulked out and the race director setup that proved so controversial last year revamped.
But the mind games remain, with Hamilton already claiming that the Mercs are off the pace this season.
The 2022 Formula 1 season begins this weekend as the 20 drivers and 10 teams head to Sakhir for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
With new cars and new driver line-ups, the Bahrain race promises to be one of the most interesting season openers in years.
Here’s what to look out for as racing gets underway this weekend.
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Verstappen vs Hamilton is back for round two
Watch : F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 Live Free
If there was one narrative that defined the 2021 campaign, it was Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton‘s season-long fight for the title.
It went down to the very last lap of the very last race and that drama is unlikely to be going anywhere soon.
Hamilton is on a mission to bounce-back from his perceived injustice of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while Verstappen goes about defending his crown.
2021 delivered the best title race in decades but with new cars to contend with, no one can be sure who will come out on top in 2022.
Bahrain race weekend dates and times
(All times GMT)
Friday, March 18
Practice one (12pm-1pm; Sky Sports Main Event/F1)
Practice two (3pm-4pm; Sky Sports Main Event/F1)
Saturday, March 19
Practice three (12pm-1pm; Sky Sports F1)
Qualifying (3pm-4pm; Sky Sports Main Event/F1)
Sunday, March 20
Bahrain Grand Prix (3pm; Sky Sports Main Event until 4.30pm or whole race on F1)
How to watch
TV viewers can add Sky Sports Main Event or F1 to their existing satellite package
Watch online via NOW (£20 a month season offer; £11.99 for 24-hour pass) or via the Sky Go app for existing subscribers
The return of Ferrari
It has been more than two years since Ferrari’s last F1 win which seems unthinkable for the sport’s most famous team.
Since the end of 2019, Ferrari has found themselves not challenging for podiums or race victories but instead battling McLaren for the ‘best of the rest’ award behind Red Bull and Mercedes.
But this year it could all be different if testing is anything to go by.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 10: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 on track during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 10, 2022 in Bahrain, Bahrain.
The Ferrari car, with its deep sidepods, proved to be the most reliable in Bahrain as it completed more laps than any other on the grid.
And not only was it reliable but it was quick: on the second day of testing in Barcelona, Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets and in the Monegasque and Carlos Sainz, Ferrari have two of the best and most consistent drivers in the paddock.
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first real test of this new Ferrari and will go someway to seeing if they can return to the top of the podium.
The 2022 cars given their first proper spin
Watch : Bahrain GP 2022: Live Free
The 2022 regulations were long in the making. Pushed back due to Covid, the rules asked teams to effectively go back to the drawing board and start again.
The main purpose of these changes was to encourage closer racing. Alterations have been made to the cars’ aerodynamics meaning anyone following behind another driver should not get stuck in the “dirty” air which causes performance loss.
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By now, we have seen the new cars completed hundreds of laps around a track but we have yet to see them race one another and the Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first chance to see just that.
Haas improvements
No one has had a more busy off-season than Haas.
A month ago, they had a different driver and a different principal sponsor but a lot can change in that time in F1.
Nikita Mazepin has been booted out as a result of his father’s links to Vladimir Putin and in his place is the returning Kevin Magnussen.
This is also the year Haas had pinned their hopes on after effectively sacrificing the 2021 season to focus on the new regulations and the first reports are positive.
Haas may not be challenging for wins and podiums but do not be surprised to see them score points consistently starting in Bahrain.
Ricciardo’s race to be fit
While he will be thankful it did not come on the weekend of an actual race, Daniel Ricciardo‘s positive Covid test during the Bahrain testing did not make for great timing.
Now in his second season at McLaren, the Australian has a point to prove. He scored 45 points fewer than his team-mate Lando Norris in 2021 and at the age of 32, time is ticking on his F1 career.
Ricciardo will be more keen than ever to hit the ground running in Bahrain but having had such little time on the track in the new car, it will be interesting to see just how well he can perform come race day.
