F1: Lewis Hamilton arrives in Barcelona as the first day of pre-season testing gets underway

The first day of F1 pre-season testing has begun at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona on Wednesday morning. 

World champion Max Verstappen was among the first drivers back out on track but only went sixth-fastest after the first session, with George Russell also taking to his new Mercedes car for the first time with the rest of the field. 

Lewis Hamilton, who missed out on the 2021 title after the late controversy in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will be out on the track this afternoon. 

After the morning session, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the standings with a time of 1m 20.165s after nearly 80 laps around the track, while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Russell completed the top-three.  

Lewis Hamilton will be out on the track this afternoon on the first day of F1 pre-season testing

World champion Max Verstappen was among the first drivers back out on track in Barcelona

George Russell also drove his new Mercedes car for the first time with the rest of the field

McLaren’s Lando Norris was the first driver out on track, with Russell closely behind him as the two British stars wasted no time in getting back behind the wheel. 

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel came fourth after the morning session, with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in fifth and Verstappen – who completed the most laps of any driver at 80 – coming home sixth. 

This week, all 20 drivers return to action, with mystery and intrigue in the air at the behind closed doors pre-season event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the traditional Formula One testing venue. 

It is the first of two testing events, with the second taking place a week before the season-opener in Bahrain next month at the same track in Sakhir, which hosted last year’s pre-season testing.  

All 10 teams will have three days, starting on Wednesday, to test their 2022 cars amid the biggest overhaul of regulations in F1 history as the sport aims for more competitive wheel-to-wheel racing and overtaking opportunities. 

McLaren’s Lando Norris was the first driver out on track on Wednesday morning 

This week’s three-day event in Barcelona is the first of two pre-season testing events

New regulations have changed the game this season as teams eye positions up the field 

The aerodynamic changes should make cars easier to follow, resulting in tighter racing, while a move to 18-inch rim tyres from 13-inch tyres mean the car’s design is vastly changed. 

Cost-cap measures and windtunnel development time have also been altered in a NFL-esque style format to bridge the gap between teams, with the worst performing team last year – Haas – given the most windtunnel time and the best team the least. 

With nine out of 10 teams having already launched their spanking new models – Alfa Romeo will use an interim livery in Catalunya before their launch on Sunday – the talk of the town is to expect the unexpected.