Pre-season testing has already been carried out and it should be noted that it has been the shortest in a long time. The 20 drivers and 10 teams have taken the track of the Bahrain International Circuit to test their new cars and arrive as well prepared as possible for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is scheduled for the weekend of March 26-28 of this year. We have already been able to observe the performance of each car, however, we cannot tell any conclusions yet. From the official site of the highest category of motorsport they have released their official ranking of teams after the preseason in terms of performance, in this article we will analyse it.

10. Haas

There is no other team that fights for this position unless it is the North American team. It has been a very worrying and hard few years for them. During the past season, accidents, incidents, etc, were at the order of the day, one of the reasons why they decided not to continue with any of their drivers, instead they decided to adopt a completely rookie line-up, having Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin as its starting drivers. During the preseason, a problem in the gearbox kept Schumacher on the side-lines during his first day of testing, in addition to the fact that the Americans already announced that their VF-21 will not be updated at all during this entire season, this due to the fact that the team already maintains its concentration in the year 2022.

9. Williams

Despite having finished last in the constructors' championship for the last three years, it seems that the change of ownership and the injections of money they have had lately have made them climb at least one position. When analysing the lap times, we can conclude that the British team has managed to advance and regain speed in its race pace, being the ninth fastest team in this area, however, not everything is good for Williams, since they are still the slowest in the short runs, that is, qualifying rounds.

8. Alfa Romeo

There is not much to say about this team. During the first day of testing, Kimi Raikkonen managed to position himself in fourth place, which was surprising, however, it seems that the Italians will not be fighting to be the best of the rest since their times - both long and short runs - have not gotten much better or worse. They are expected to be able to maintain at least that eighth place they achieved last year, however, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to keep up with teams like Alpha Tauri. What is worth noting is the reliability of their car during those three days, since they were the team that ran the most on the track with a total of 422 laps.

7. Aston Martin

This position is surprising. Aston Martin is listed as one of the teams with the highest expectations in Formula 1 after its return to the category. Many fans and even specialists commented that they would be the ones to get into the top 3 and fight for podiums. Formula 1 doubts it and, honestly, so do I. The reliability in his car, specifically in their power unit, meant that Sebastian Vettel only completed 117 laps, this due to a problem with the gearbox and another incident with the turbo. Yes, Aston Martin managed to position itself as the third fastest team when it comes to long runs, but those reliability issues mean that this is not yet the most glorious moment for the British team. But again, it is just pre-season.

6. Alpha Tauri

The Italian team arrives in Bahrain with great confidence. After taking his first victory from Pierre Gasly during the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Alpha Tauri has decided to cut Daniil Kvyat and hire Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda in order to fight with more powerful teams. As for his times, the controversy of the Japanese when opening the DRS before the zone of the same, made him finish just 0.093 seconds of the best time of the day, made by Max Verstappen. The new AT02 is regarded as a fast and stable car, two of the most important features in a car.

5. Ferrari

After having had a terrible 2020 season, the Italian team was sure that they would fight for podiums again this year, however, the preseason was not the best they have had. With Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as its starting drivers, Ferrari showed improvements in short runs, which were one of its biggest problems last year. One of the main problems that the Maranello team had was that technical problems were also present in their garage, this coupled with the fact that Carlos Sainz is not completely comfortable in his SF21.

4. Alpine

The two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, along with Esteban Ocon have managed to remain very strong during the three days of preseason. Both in batches c Orths as in long runs, Alpine is quite strong and always manages to reduce a few thousandths in its previously marked time. The Asturian rider's experience is very helpful to Alpine, since they need someone experienced, as Daniel Ricciardo was before.

3. McLaren

Yes, McLaren just keeps getting better. The change that is probably the most prominent in the British team is its driver line-up. The 21-year-old Lando Norris will have as a teammate nothing more and nothing less than the winner of 7 Grands Prix, Daniel Ricciardo. This change is not the only surprising one, in the technical field is its new Mercedes power unit, in addition to a unique design in its diffuser. Like Alpine, the British team was strong in both short and long runs, setting times similar to those of Mercedes. McLaren is the team to beat and will continue to be for this year.

2. Mercedes

We know, Mercedes does not have a good preseason, but it will still win both championships, this we do not know at the moment. What we do know is that it was not at all the preseason that the German team had planned. Despite being listed as the fastest team in terms of long runs, Mercedes was not as fast as Red Bull in qualifying pace. The main problem they had was the balance and stability of their W12. We saw Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas spin in areas that are unusual. It is well known that this team adapts very quickly to new configurations, which makes the battle very close.

1.- Red Bull

Red Bull Racing is positioned as the best contender to snatch the crown from Mercedes. Its driver line-up is considered, so far, as one of the strongest on the grid. It is about Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez. Both the drivers and the team members comment that this has been the best preseason the Austrian team has ever had. In the short runs they were first with a small margin to Mercedes, while in the long runs Mercedes was first with Red Bull in second place. The car's rear  looked quite stable, which was an improvement compared to last year's RB16, plus its power unit was reliable and powerful. Who do you think will get the constructors' title this season?