Formula 1 has officially begun. Bahrain has hosted the first official test of the season, with all twenty drivers participating—ten in the morning session and ten in the afternoon. The first major takeaway from the session is that this season promises incredible parity across the grid.
The initial results are not decisive in terms of determining which team has the upper hand. In fact, the lap times suggest remarkable equality, which makes sense given that this is the final year under the current regulations—meaning teams can’t extract much more performance from their cars.
Unsurprisingly, the top four drivers represent McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari—with Carlos Sainz’s Williams in fifth place.
Lando Norris set the fastest time, followed by George Russell, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz. All of them ran in the afternoon session, so it was expected that their times would be quicker than those from the morning runs. The top five were separated by just five-tenths of a second, while Pierre Gasly, in sixth place, was an astonishing four-tenths behind Carlos Sainz.
Carlos Sainz Maximizes the Potential of His Williams
Despite this being only the first day of testing, it is notable that Carlos Sainz was able to place his Williams just behind the grid’s top names for two reasons.
- There is little confidence that Williams has a truly competitive car.
- This was Sainz’s first time behind the wheel of his new car.
The quality of the Madrid-born driver has been evident from day one. Carlos Sainz has been lapping with the best, and the fact that he finished more than four-tenths ahead of Gasly in sixth place is a strong statement.
The key question now is whether the team was targeting fast lap times, whether Sainz was taking risks, or whether the Williams is genuinely performing better than expected. Only time will tell.
Aston Martin Faces Challenges but Offers Exciting Signs
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completed the fewest laps on this first day of testing. The Spanish driver performed well early in the session, even topping the timesheets at several points. However, in the final stage, Alonso shifted his focus to gathering data on the car, disregarding lap times.
Alonso was the only driver to complete fewer than 300 km in the morning session.
Despite the low mileage, Aston Martin reported no mechanical issues and was pleased with Alonso’s work. However, alarm bells rang in the afternoon session, when Lance Stroll managed just 37 laps—nine fewer than Alonso.
That said, there was good news. Aston Martin’s cornering performance caught everyone’s attention. One of the most noticeable improvements is the new rear wing, which has significantly enhanced the car’s ability to take corners. According to telemetry data, Aston Martin’s cornering speed is on par with McLaren and Ferrari. If these figures hold up, Aston Martin could return to the front of the grid.
A Second Session Disrupted by Unusual Conditions
The second practice session was interrupted by rain—a rare occurrence in the Bahrain desert—and by a general power outage, likely caused by the unusual weather conditions. There is a possibility that rain will return on Thursday, and this time with greater intensity.
While Wednesday’s rain didn’t stop the cars from running, Thursday’s conditions could be an obstacle. Only two teams—Aston Martin and Haas—brought wet-weather tires, which means they could be the only ones testing in the rain, gaining a strategic advantage.
What to Expect from Preseason Testing
Unlike previous years, the paddock consensus is that there won’t be major performance changes between testing and the first race. As mentioned earlier, the cars have already reached their development limits, leaving little room for improvement.
Christian Horner confirmed this, suggesting that this year’s preseason test results may be more indicative of actual performance than usual.