As the sun set on the Sakhir track, unveiling the day one results of the 2025 Formula 1 testing, one could perceive a sense of reliability emerging from the cars of the ten participating teams. However, it’s worth noting that there’s a considerable distance yet to cover before these machines reach their optimum potential, and any conclusions drawn at this stage would be mere preliminary observations.
An intriguing spectacle unfolded as the McLaren, despite a slow start, emerged as the dark horse. It was only halfway through the day that the car was primed enough to attempt a serious push lap, and when it finally did, Lando Norris outpaced the competition. “We’ve been bold with some of our innovations,” admitted McLaren CEO Zak Brown when the car was still lagging behind in the garage. Evidently, the gamble paid off, with Norris setting an impressive track record during the extended period following a circuit power outage.
Norris’ stellar performance at 1m30.430s was initially 0.4 seconds ahead of the pack, though the gap dwindled to 0.157s by day’s end. As McLaren shifted gears to focus on longer runs, Max Verstappen and George Russell gradually closed in, coming within a few tenths of Norris’ time.
Verstappen and Liam Lawson, however, appeared less comfortable handling the RB21, with Lawson unfortunately caught in one of the day’s two spins. Despite the car’s snappy behavior, Verstappen skillfully managed to clock competitive times, securing third place. His two long runs, albeit slightly shorter than Norris’, were faster by 0.4s on the same C3 tyre, yet the unknowns of fuel loads and power maps remain.
Pierre Wache, the team’s technical director, revealed that they had tried some set-up changes with Lawson in the morning to understand the car’s reaction, and continued the program with Verstappen in the afternoon with a different set-up change.
Russell, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction with the W16, stating, “The car feels great.” He registered the second-fastest time, but with a word of caution added, “We know we’ve always been quick in the cold.” Track temperatures fluctuated between a chilly 18-27°C.
Kimi Antonelli topped the morning times after a long session of heavy fuel load work, while Charles Leclerc’s fourth-fastest time for Ferrari, about 0.4s behind, seemed less representative due to being set early in the afternoon session. Ferrari appeared to be running him heavier in the longer runs.
Morning driver Lewis Hamilton drew attention by deciding to measure the flex of the new front wing. His confidence in the car was evident, and it exhibited a formidable straight-line performance. Williams also seemed well prepared, managing extensive running and tentatively securing the fifth position after the top four, closely followed by Alpine.
Aston Martin, despite not being prepared for a significant number of consecutive laps, showed promising glimpses of form, particularly in the fast sweeps of the second sector. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll shared that the car felt much improved from last year. The Racing Bull, meanwhile, appeared far from sorted, maintaining a comparable pace with the Sauber.
The slowest on the numbers, Haas, saw both Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon clocking in a substantial number of laps, indicating there’s much more performance to be unearthed. As the testing continues, the anticipation for what’s to come only grows.