There is still a long way to go, but this was a disconcerting start to the return to the Aston Martin name in F1. As Racing Point last season, they were probably the third fastest team overall with their Mercedes W10 imitation. And just like the actual Mercedes team this year, there is no doubt that they moved backwards in order.
Despite Lance Stroll making it into the final qualifying, Aston Martin was the seventh fastest team in Bahrain at a breakneck pace behind the usual three opponents of Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas. They are well below their 2020 levels, and midfield rivals McLaren, AlphaTauri and Ferrari are progressing to varying degrees.
Their racing show was a little better, but they now face a dilemma. Ideally, the 2022 regulation changes – and the new era of F1 – should be the focus of their resources, but with such a bad start the team may have to put their efforts into making this car better or facing a demoralizing season. Force India has been very good at improving this season and that quality seems to be in demand here.
Progress evaluation: -0.404% (8.)
8. Alpine – A sluggish start, could Renault Power be your problem?
The team formerly known as Renault is now led by Fernando Alonso. It did its best during the Bahrain Grand Prix, but the A521 looked sluggish. Esteban Ocon did not do much better either, finishing 13th and one lap behind both Alfa Romeos. The team has made absolute progress from last year (only three teams haven’t), but their relative progress – more importantly – is backwards.
Like Aston Martin, they are faced with the “development dilemma”. No team wants to fight outside of the points for an entire year and go backwards rather than forward. But resources can best be spent working on their car in 2022.
There’s still a chance the team and drivers will have a better understanding of the car and its behavior as the season progresses, but you’re wondering if the Renault powerplant is the main cause of its slow pace. In our preseason guide, we said the window for Alpine could be anywhere between third and seventh place this year. With McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and AlphaTauri on the rise, seventh place seems the more likely result.
Progress evaluation: + 0.167% (7.)
