The Formula 1 season is approaching, and all ten teams gathered in Bahrain this week for three days of testing their new 2025 cars.
On Wednesday morning, all twenty cars appeared on the track for the first time, following their car reveals the previous week.
This three-day test is the only chance for teams to evaluate their cars before the season-opening race in Melbourne on March 16. While lap times aren’t crucial at this stage, testing offers insights into which teams are looking strong for the upcoming season.
Day One
Lewis Hamilton drew significant attention as he was first onto the track on Wednesday. This was his first proper run in the SF-25 after a brief test at Ferrari’s private track. Leading up to this season, he had driven 2023 and 2024-spec cars in four separate tests.
After his Wednesday run, Hamilton mentioned he felt like he and the car were ‘bonding’.
Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s performance coach, has rejoined him in the paddock. They had previously separated in 2023, after which Cullen worked with Marcus Armstrong in IndyCar. Now, she is back with Hamilton, joining him at Ferrari for this season.
Bahrain’s temperatures this week are around 15°C, which is cooler than usual for this time of year. Rain occurred on day one, with more expected on day two.
Day one experienced a power outage for over an hour in the late afternoon as it got dark. Pitwall screens, garage lights, and track floodlights went out. Mechanics used flashlights, and some brought generators to the garages while waiting for the issue to be resolved.
Circuit officials stated the power cut was due to a substation failure. The FIA extended the session by an hour after power was restored.
This year, six rookies are joining the F1 grid, and all of them made their first track appearances this week. These rookies are Gabriel Bortoleto for Sauber, Jack Doohan at Alpine, Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, Oliver Bearman at Haas, and Liam Lawson at Red Bull, who is considered a rookie despite having participated in 11 grands prix over two years.
Learn more about the rookies.
Lando Norris set the fastest time on Wednesday, followed by George Russell and Max Verstappen. All top times were achieved after the power outage.
Day Two
Rain returned briefly on day two. Esteban Ocon was the only driver to use intermediate tires as the others waited for the rain to stop.
Carlos Sainz recorded the quickest time on day two and for the entire test, with a lap of 1:29.348. This was 0.031 seconds faster than Hamilton’s earlier time that day.
Flow visualization paint, known as ‘flow-vis’, is frequently used during testing to analyze aerodynamics. Fluorescent powder is mixed with light oil, creating flows as the car moves and drying to show airflow patterns. This paint helps aerodynamicists visualize and adjust flow structures if needed. The paint is water-based and easily washed off.
Similar to flow-vis, aero rakes are another common tool for aerodynamic analysis in testing. These rakes, positioned at the front and rear of cars, contain numerous small sensors to measure airflow around the front wing, wheels, and rear body. Aerodynamicists can quickly analyze this data and assess changes made to the car.
Verstappen and Norris joked about how their relationship might be affected if they compete for the title in 2025 again. Verstappen jokingly said their relationship was ‘terrible’ and full of ‘big drama’.
Day Three
Day three continued with unusual incidents, including more red flags. In the morning, Bearman’s Haas car lost a section of its engine cover during a lap. He slowly returned to the pits for repairs, leaving fragments on the track.
Later in the morning session, another red flag occurred when a glass pane from the gantry above the start/finish straight shattered and fell onto the track. Marshals quickly cleared the debris to resume running.
Watch (U.S. only) as the afternoon session was briefly red-flagged due to a bus being spotted in the track’s run-off area.
Illness affected Aston Martin drivers, limiting their day three running. Lance Stroll was unwell but completed 34 laps before handing over to Fernando Alonso, who also had a cold.
Charles Leclerc was fastest in the morning session of day three, but George Russell achieved the fastest time of day three in the afternoon with 1:29.545, beating Max Verstappen.
Sainz remained the fastest overall across all three days of testing.
