Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
After 80 days without F1 cars on our screens, the drought ends, with pre-season testing underway in Bahrain on 26th February. Pre-season testing is crucial for teams to discover the work they’ve done over the winter. Here is everything you need to know about the three upcoming days.
Testing is crucial to an upcoming season of F1, with teams and drivers getting a feel of their 2025 contender. Key storylines break throughout this period which can set the tone for the upcoming season.
So how does testing work?
All 10 F1 teams will head to Bahrain to test their new cars, with a wide range of setup configurations and measurements, to test how their car will react under different circumstances. Teams will vary their fuel levels, testing high fuel levels for long runs and low fuel levels for the qualifying format.
Alongside this, teams will use flow-vis paint to understand the flow of air around the car, and another key area they will focus on is testing the tyre compounds.
All 10 teams will only run one of their cars during the three days, with drivers running one-and-a-half days each, notwithstanding any hiccups in running. Drivers will split duties, with teams opting for different running times for their drivers. Red Bull has Max Verstappen run a full day, and Liam Lawson the following day, while Haas has opted to have both drivers run on all three days.
It is worth noting that testing results are to be taken with a pinch of salt. A team may finish atop the timing sheets, reaffirming their confidence in their design, but it will not indicate who is the fastest. Teams may ‘sandbag’ which means they don’t run at full capacity, and their full potential won’t be unveiled until qualifying in Australia.
What are the key things to watch out for in this year's testing?
One of the key stories fans will be watching out for will be Lewis Hamilton’s first outing with Ferrari. The shock news saw the seven-time world champion switch to the Prancing Horses, pushing out Carlos Sainz. The Briton will partner long-term Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc for 2025 and beyond, with the pair set to be a strong team.
Following on from the news about Hamilton, Sainz will debut with Williams on Wednesday. On an upward trajectory after a difficult couple of seasons, the British team has a strong lineup, with Alex Albon continuing on with the season for his third season with the team.
Other drivers made key team switches for the upcoming season, with Esteban Ocon being another. Ocon left Alpine after a five-year tenure and joined Haas, as he replaced Sauber-bound Nico Hülkenberg.
Haas is coming off its most successful F1 season since 2018 in F1, scoring consistently and finishing in seventh with 58 points. Joining him at Haas will be Laura Mueller, she previously worked as a Performance Engineer before earning the promotion to full-time race engineer for 2025, marking the first time a woman has been a race engineer.
Big changes were made in the structural aspect of certain teams for 2025, with the biggest being Aston Martin who poached Adrian Newey from Red Bull. Newey is set to begin his work with the team on March 1st when his gardening period ends.
Alongside the big shift, team principal Mike Krack steps down after three seasons and becomes chief trackside officer. Andy Cowell takes over the set-up from 2025, becoming team principal for the team in green.
Kick Sauber was another team making big changes for its upcoming season. Returning from his period out of the sport, former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto was made interim team principal for the 2024 season, awaiting the arrival of Jonathan Wheatley. Binotto will remain with the team as Chief Operating Officer as Wheatley’s gardening period with Red Bull ends in 2025.
Five new faces join F1 for 2025: Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar all take the set-up for a full-time season. While Bearman and Doohan have each had a taste of an F1 race weekend in 2024, Antonelli, Bortoleto and Hadjar jump into the unknown.
These drivers will be using pre-season testing as a warm-up, preparing themselves for the upcoming season and getting used to the controls of an F1 car.
Who is running when?
Red Bull: Both Verstappen and Lawson will split duties on Wednesday with the four-time world champion during the AM session and Lawson taking the PM slot. The following day the Dutchman will run all eight hours, with Lawson running the final day throughout the day.
Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli will lead the Mercedes out during the AM session on Wednesday with new team-leader George Russell stepping in after the lunch break. For the two following days, the pair will take turns with the Italian switching to the PM session, before closing out on another AM on Thursday.
Aston Martin: just like Mercedes Aston Martin, will have both drivers run on all three days, with Fernando Alonso taking both AM slots on Wednesday and Thursday before Lance Stroll grabs the final AM session on Friday.
Alpine: The Australian rookie, Jack Doohan will open up Alpine’s pre-season testing during the AM before Pierre Gasly takes over after the lunch break. The following day the pair switch running orders with drivers each getting a change to run in the morning and in the evening.
Haas: Bearman takes the AM in the VF-25 with Ocon following suit. Just like Alpine, the two drivers will then alternate for the following two days.
Williams: Alex Albon leads out the Williams on Wednesday before Carlos Sainz makes his debut with the team in the PM. The following day the Spaniard will take both sessions, with Albon taking Friday’s sessions.
Kick Sauber: Nico Hülkenberg takes to the track for testing. Gabriel Bortoleto comes out at 11:55 am local time, for the afternoon slot. The pair will again alternate on Thursday and Friday.
McLaren: Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris split the duties across all three days, with Piastri taking the AM and Norris the PM slot for days one and two, before swapping slots on day three.
Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda will take the AM slot on days one and two, with rookie Isack Hadjar taking the PM slot on both days, before the duo swap slots for day three.
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton will take the AM slot on day one and Leclerc the PM slot, however, the team are yet to announce their run plans for days two and three.
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