2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: What does the Constructors' Championship look like after the race?

The much-anticipated 2022 F1 season kicked off spectacularly at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The season opener delivered a thriller of a race to perfectly set up a three-way championship battle that promises to overhaul the Mercedes-Red Bull rivalry from the previous season.

With the introduction of radical aerodynamic regulations intent on making the new cars better at close quarters racing, many expected a mix-up in the F1 grid. As proven during the first race, the grid was indeed shaken up quite significantly.

The Prancing Horse makes a much-awaited return to the top

Ferrari lived up to pre-season expectations, sending out a strong message to their rivals. The Scuderia seems to have a formidable car, seemingly capable of taking the championship.

Red Bull implode as their Powertrains unit has a rough start

While Ferrari pipped Red Bull to pole on Saturday, Milton Keynes was hopeful of a race win, given the RB18’s impressive race pace. Those hopes were dashed come race day, however, as Max Verstappen failed to capture the race lead.

Meanwhile, Red Bull's race started unraveling in the closing stages of the race, as Pierre Gasly's Alpha Tauri ground to a halt with his Red Bull power unit on fire. Within a few laps of the subsequent safety car restart, both Red Bulls also started having power unit troubles, ultimately causing them to retire.

Termed as favorites before Bahrain, Red Bull are going home with zero points. Without a fix for their reliability issues, Milton Keynes risk slipping back behind their old rivals Mercedes, while Ferrari march ahead.

Mercedes have had their worst start to a season in nearly eight years

When Mercedes seemed to struggle in pre-season testing after debuting their “no-sidepod” design, many thought the team were ’sand-bagging' as usual. The Bahrain GP, however, proved that the German team were indeed struggling for pace.

The eight-time world champions might have a good car on their hands, but they certainly have a lot of work to do before they can unlock a championship-contending performance from it.

Ferrari power shines

While Maranello made the most of the spotlight, the Bahrain GP proved to be good for the two other F1 teams that are powered by Ferrari as well. Both Haas and Alfa Romeo looked impressive throughout the race and managed to score big points.

Miserable day for British F1 teams

McLaren, Aston Martin, and Williams had a day to forget in Bahrain, with none of them managing to score a single point. McLaren’s disastrous performance was possibly the biggest surprise of the race, with neither Lando Norris nor Daniel Ricciardo managing to show competitive pace.

---

Constructors’ standings after round 1 of 2022 F1 season

Position	Constructor	Points
1	Ferrari	44
2	Mercedes	27
3	Haas Ferrari	10
4	Alfa Romeo Ferrari	9
5	Alpine Renault	8
6	AlphaTauri RBPT	4
7	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	0
8	Williams Mercedes	0
9	McLaren Mercedes	0
10	Red Bull Racing RBPT	0

The F1 circus will now head to the Arabian Peninsula for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next weekend.

---

Also Check Out: F1 Standings 2022