For the primary time in these 2025 pre-season Formulation 1 checks in Sakhir, Ferrari topped the timesheets. It was Lewis Hamilton’s SF-25 that set the quickest lap within the morning session, which concluded simply minutes in the past.
The British driver posted a finest time of 1’29”379, breaking the 1’30” barrier for the primary time on this check. His lap was practically six-tenths faster than the quickest time recorded on the second day of 2024 testing (Sainz’s 1’29”921) and solely two-tenths slower than the lap that secured pole place for final yr’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Though the observe remained slippery for a lot of the session because of mild however persistent rain, drivers had been nonetheless in a position to persistently run on slick tires. Most groups labored completely with C3 compounds, whereas Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri additionally examined C2s. Notably, Esteban Ocon accomplished three laps on intermediate tires, with Haas being one in all solely two groups to go for grooved tires, gathering helpful knowledge from his runs within the VF-25.
At Ferrari, Hamilton continued the work began the day past, together with a short simulation on C3 tires that resembled the primary stint of a Grand Prix. Whereas his last lap time could not maintain a lot significance, it seemingly supplied a morale enhance for the seven-time world champion as he prepares for his first full season with Ferrari.
Behind Hamilton was one other British driver, George Russell, within the Mercedes W16, trailing the Ferrari by four-tenths. His program appeared just like Hamilton’s, and the lap time distinction would possibly replicate a real hole between the 2 groups.
Russell was additionally probably the most lively driver of the morning, finishing 71 laps. Solely Esteban Ocon, who completed final within the session whereas working high-fuel stints, got here shut with 69 laps.
Carlos Sainz secured third place in a Williams that, no less than visually, appeared to go well with the Spaniard. He was seven-tenths off Hamilton’s time, however notably, his finest lap was set on C2 tires, not like the C3s utilized by these forward of and behind him, together with Pierre Gasly within the Alpine.
Fernando Alonso rounded out the highest 5. He had spent a lot of the session behind the sphere till he fitted a recent set of C3s, bringing his AMR25 to inside three-tenths of Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. It stays troublesome to find out Aston Martin’s true ambitions for 2025 or the precise aims of their check program.
Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls secured sixth place, ending simply 28 milliseconds forward of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. The Woking-based workforce targeted not on outright tempo however on race tempo, which already appeared constant and aggressive. Whereas the MCL39 didn’t function on the prime of the timesheets, McLaren remained extremely assured, particularly after their sturdy 2024 marketing campaign.
The one notable incident of the session occurred on the hairpin, the place Piastri collided with Nico Hulkenberg. The Australian overshot the braking zone and struck the best rear wheel of Hulkenberg’s Sauber. Piastri was visibly pissed off along with his colleague, although Hulkenberg had left the door huge open. The Sauber escaped unscathed, however McLaren suffered minor front-wing harm.
Purple Bull additionally confronted difficulties, with Liam Lawson finishing solely 28 laps because of a cooling system failure within the Honda energy unit of the RB21. In the meantime, Hulkenberg lined 56 laps for Sauber. The highest ten was accomplished by Haas, which, as in 2024 winter testing, prioritized high-fuel runs to copy race situations.
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