The 2022 season brought the most significant technical regulations overhaul since 2009, with ground effects aerodynamics reintroduced to make cars easier to follow and overtake. The budget cap was reduced from $145 million to $142.4 million. Wheel diameters increased from 13 to 18 inches, bringing new Pirelli tyre compounds. Drivers who reached Q3 were no longer required to start on the tyres used in Q2, eliminating a rule in place since 2014. The Bahrain weekend was the fourth time the race opened the Formula One season, following 2006, 2010 and 2021.
Several teams fielded changed driver lineups. Valtteri Bottas moved from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo, replaced at Mercedes by George Russell who vacated his Williams seat for Alex Albon. Zhou Guanyu joined Alfa Romeo as the only rookie on the grid. Kevin Magnussen replaced Nikita Mazepin at Haas after Mazepin's sponsor contract was terminated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nico Hülkenberg substituted for Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin after Vettel tested positive for COVID-19.
Pre-season testing at the same circuit indicated Ferrari and Red Bull as the two fastest teams. Mercedes debuted an unusual minimalist sidepod design that both Hamilton and Russell expressed scepticism about, with Hamilton saying he struggled to "tame" the car.
Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri was fastest in the opening session, held on soft tyres. A red flag was shown when Esteban Ocon's Alpine shed its sidepod bodywork on the main straight. Max Verstappen topped the second and third sessions with Leclerc narrowly behind him in both outings. Mercedes placed no higher than fourth in any session.
Leclerc took pole position with a lap of 1:30.558, ahead of Verstappen (1:30.681) and Sainz (1:30.687). Sergio Pérez was fourth, Mercedes split the field in fifth and ninth. Kevin Magnussen secured Haas's first Q3 appearance in over two years, qualifying seventh. Bottas made an unexpected appearance in fourth in Q1 before being eliminated from Q3. Both Aston Martins were knocked out in Q1.
Leclerc led from lights to flag, surrendering the lead only briefly when Verstappen passed him on lap 17 using DRS, before reclaiming it shortly after. Verstappen attempted another pass on lap 19 but locked up at turn 1 and ran wide, allowing Leclerc to extend his advantage.
Both drivers pitted twice during the main phase of the race, maintaining their first and second positions. A third phase of pit stops for soft tyres was triggered by a safety car on lap 46 when Gasly's car caught fire due to a power unit failure. Leclerc pitted during the safety car window and retained his lead at the restart.
With five laps to run Verstappen notified his pit wall of a suspected power unit problem. He was immediately passed by Sainz and Hamilton, then retired his car on lap 54. Pérez suffered a fuel system failure on the final lap, spinning to a halt and retiring from what had been fourth place. Leclerc and Sainz finished first and second with Hamilton third. George Russell was fourth and Magnussen fifth.
Leclerc's victory ended Ferrari's 45-race winless streak dating back to the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix — the second-longest winless run in the team's history. Team principal Mattia Binotto described the result as "fantastic" and "a relief." Leclerc credited the team's adaptation to the new regulations and praised the 1–2 as a return to winning form after two "incredibly difficult" years. Sainz expressed frustration at his own race pace, saying he had "some homework to do."
Red Bull's Christian Horner called the double DNF "brutal" and the team's "worst nightmare." Mercedes' Toto Wolff was doubtful about defending the Constructors' title, calling it "a very long shot."
Zhou Guanyu finished tenth on his debut, becoming the first Chinese driver to compete in and score points in Formula One.
Leclerc led the Drivers' Championship with 26 points, becoming the first Monégasque driver ever to do so. Ferrari led the Constructors' Championship for the first time since the 2018 British Grand Prix. Both championships were led by Ferrari until the Spanish Grand Prix, where Verstappen and Red Bull took over and held the leads for the remainder of the season.
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