Contested over 57 laps, it served as the season opener of the 2022 Formula One World Championship and was the eighteenth running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the race after starting from pole position, his first win since the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.

[b] His teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished in second with Lewis Hamilton in third, as reigning champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez both retired from podium positions with fuel problems late in the race.

[11] Following the controversy, Formula One race director Michael Masi was removed from his position and replaced by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich, who alternated in the role.

[20] The reintroduction of ground effects meant that many constructors encountered porpoising during pre-season testing, which was resolved to differing levels of success—Ferrari and Red Bull were able to fix their problems in advance of the race weekend, while Mercedes would continue to struggle with the issue for the opening rounds of the season.

[23][24] George Russell replaced Bottas at Mercedes and vacated his seat at Williams, which was filled by Red Bull reserve driver Alex Albon.

[28] Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel tested positive for coronavirus before the race weekend and was replaced by reserve driver Nico Hülkenberg.

The first session started at 15:00 local time (UTC+03:00), and was red flagged when Esteban Ocon's Alpine shed its sidepod bodywork on the main straight.

Reigning Constructors' Champions Mercedes struggled for pace throughout the free practices and placed no higher than fourth on the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton describing the team as being "a long way off" from the front of the grid.

[37][38] Yuki Tsunoda did not set a time in the third session, being forced to return to the garage with a hydraulic leak before he could complete a lap.

Fellow Haas driver Mick Schumacher placed 13th, which gave the team their first Q2 appearance with both cars since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Before he was forced back to the garage with a hydraulic issue, Magnussen managed to place seventh, securing his team's first Q3 appearance in over two years, while a late lap from Valtteri Bottas knocked Esteban Ocon out of Q3 by 0.065 seconds.

[47][49] When the race restarted on lap 51, Leclerc maintained his lead over Verstappen, who radioed the pit crew to notify them he suspected he had a power unit issue.

Verstappen, now moving slowly, was passed by Sainz and Hamilton, and he entered the pit lane to retire his car on lap 54.

On the final lap, Pérez suffered a fuel system issue which caused his power unit to switch off, spinning his car and forcing him to retire.

[50] Leclerc hailed his victory and 1–2 finish as a return to winning form for Ferrari after two "incredibly difficult" years, praising the team's adaptation to the new 2022 regulations and his personal growth as a driver.

[53] Hamilton found Mercedes' performance "remarkable" after previously expressing reservation about the car's capabilities, although he conceded that the team struggled in the race.