The way in which the two official pre-season testing sessions are managed this year ahead of the start of the 2022 Formula 1 championship season aroused curiosity. Liberty Media announced the two test sessions scheduled in Spain and Bahrain with different names, defining the three days of Barcelona as a shakedown, while those of Skahir will be the official tests that precede the start of the season.
Behind the different denomination there is also a different planning, given that in Bahrain there will be complete media coverage, which will include live television and full access for the media and the public, while in Montmelò the tests will be behind closed doors (for spectators ) and with limitations also for TV media.
A strange policy, given that the greatest interest will obviously be for in the Spanish tests, which will be the first official event not only of the season, but of the new technical era.
But why then this difference? There is a reason, and it is a financial one. Bahrain, which will also host the opening round of the 2022 season, has also asked to have a sort of ‘first’ world championship of the season, to be the venue where the teams show on track the new cars with which they will race in the championship.
A difficult need to satisfy, given that the tests in Barcelona had been planned for some time, but Liberty Media did not give up. Initially, the teams were asked to use temporary liveries in Montmelò, a way to meet Bahrain’s demands, but several teams stressed that they are struggling with already tight deadlines, and a double paint job would still have cost time and money, and in addition, the teams would still have shown their colors in the official presentations.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma!
At that point it was decided to limit the visibility of the Spanish tests to a minimum, eliminating live television coverage, and also limiting the coverage of the media that will be present in Montmelò.
In fact, what will in fact be the test that will open in 2022 has been renamed as a shakedown, to guarantee Bahrain an exclusivity that in reality will have very little exclusivity. Attention: normally in real shakedowns the teams use test tires and are limited in mileage, while in Barcelona the tests will be as any normal testing session, without constraints and with race tires.
The story will change, because the three days of Sahkir will be more interesting for fans thanks to the television coverage, but Formula 1 will begin its 2022 journey and its new technical cycle on the Montmelò circuit.
Leave a Reply