During the three days of testing in Bahrain, Ferrari made a lot of tests, with the car reacting differently from time to time. If during the first day the SF-25 looked smooth and precise, its behaviour changed during day 2 and 3, when seemed to have a very strong frond-end, with the rear sliding at the exit of almost every corner. Is this struggle caused by the new pull-rod front suspension?
During the three days of testing in Bahrain, McLaren clearly seemed to have the quickest car with a little gap in front of the other three top teams. Despite not completing as many laps as the competitors, the MCL39 looked extremely well balanced and comfortable in almost every condition, also thanks to the new front suspension. Let’s try to understand why.
Lewis Hamilton is going on his 18th year in Formula 1. Throughout that time, there have been many changes to the sport. Some he is a fan of and some he is not. Pre season testing is something he still does not like, even after all this time.
The final day of Formula 1 testing at Bahrain International Circuit today was red-flagged after a bus inexplicably appeared within the circuit confines.
The incident occured eight minutes after the resumption of today’s test following the lunch break, when a shuttle bus drove onto the run-off area on the outside of turns nine and 10. Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda were lapping when the red flags were shown.
An FIA spokesperson confirmed to RaceFans the session was red-flagged because an unauthorised vehicle appeared in the service road alongside the track. It was not protected by barriers and race control was unaware where it was going.
The appearance of a vehicle on the track has obvious safety implications which is likely to raise concern among drivers.
Three years ago, Gasly was outraged to encounter a recovery vehicle on the circuit during the Japanese Grand Prix. As he pointed out, Jules Bianchi suffered serious injuries, from which he later died, when he hit a crane at the same race in 2014. In 2013 a rescue vehicle appeared on the track during the Korean Grand Prix as a result of a miscommunication at race control.
The incident was the latest in a series of strange disruptions to this week’s three-day event, which is the teams’ only opportunity to test their cars before the season-opening grand prix in Australia next month.
The red flags were shown twice during the morning session, first after a glass pane fell from a trackside gantry onto the pit straight and shattered. The session briefly resumed, during which time Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso drove onto the circuit. Then the red flags were shown again when race control discovered one marshal had not yet returned to their post.
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The FIA spokesperson told RaceFans all track incidents will be thoroughly examined. F1 is due to return to the circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.
On Wednesday testing stopped for over an hour due to a power cut at the track. The circuit owners later said this was caused by a failure at an external substation.
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The first day of testing offered close gaps between all the top teams, but every driver was on a different program during different segments of the day. After spending a lot of time to do a complete scan of all configurations (both aerodynamical and mechanical settings), Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes focused on short race pace simulations with different fuel loads and with interesting results.
Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen were in action on for Red Bull Racing during the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. Technical director Pierre Waché reflects on the first day of running ahead of the start of the season with satisfaction. For Lawson, it was his first winter test session ever. The Frenchman explained that adjusting the set-up was important for the coming test days.
Kimi Antonelli has topped the first pre-season testing session of 2025 at the Bahrain International Circuit. The Mercedes rookie clocked some important running in the first-morning session in the desert, as did the other nine drivers who ran for their respective teams. Notably, Lewis Hamilton appeared on track in a Ferrari. The seven-time world champion finished the morning in 5th place. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson suffered the only scary moment of the session with a spin in sector one. His car was unscathed, and he continued lapping later on.
The first hairy moment of pre-season testing has taken place. Liam Lawson lost his car, and slid across the track exiting Turn 3. Watch the video below!
The winter break is coming to an end, as the world of F1 gets back into the swing of things in Bahrain for winter testing today! The 20 drivers and 10 teams will start the first of three days at the Bahrain International Circuit, with everyone keenly anticipating who will be the fastest and most impressive. With it only being the first test, no team will show its full potential, but these will be the clearest indicators before the Australian Grand Prix.
The winter test in Bahrain is set to begin the day after Red Bull Racing’s shakedown. Over the course of the three-day test, teams will test various Pirelli tyre compounds, including the new soft compound, C6. This will give drivers the chance to evaluate the performance of the new tyres under different conditions as they prepare for the upcoming season.
