Compared to 2024, who has progressed or regressed during the pre-season tests in Bahrain?

Carlos Sainz is still chasing his first world championship title, but the Spaniard is already the champion... of pre-season testing. Already the author of the best time during the three days of testing preceding the start of the 2024 season, the Madrilenian repeated this year by slamming the reference mark again this week.

In addition, Sainz stuck almost six tenths to his 2024 time, all this at the wheel of a modest Williams, 9th in the last championship, while he was driving a Ferrari last year. The example of Grove's new resident serves to illustrate the overall progress that all the stables have experienced in recent months, which is reflected in the timesheet.

Nine teams improved their best time compared to last year, with some teams even progressing by more than two seconds. Alpine made the most notable step forward by shaving off his time by 2, while Williams (-021) and Red Bull (-1”113) are also among the good students. The French will also be among the teams, with Williams and Ferrari, who managed to do better during the tests than during the qualifications of the Bahrain GP, ​​the opening round of the 2024 season.

Sauber, the only team to lose in Bahrain

Conversely, Sauber has completely sunk, a year after the great performance of Guanyu-Zhou, author of the third time in cumulative testing in 2024. The Chinese is no longer there and his replacement, Gabriel Bortoleto, may have achieved the best time of his team, he concedes more than four tenths to the time of the new Ferrari reserve driver.

These differences between the teams can be explained as much by the progress made during the winter, as by the developments made throughout last season on each car. With a year to go until new regulations, teams are now approaching a glass ceiling in terms of performance.

The figures we give you here do not, however, have any value in terms of hierarchy, which remains very difficult to determine. Furthermore, some teams did not really seek performance in Bahrain and Melbourne, the scene of the first round of the season, could deliver its share of surprises...

F1 – Pre-season testing in Bahrain

Best team times (2024)

1) Ferrari: 1’29″921 (Sainz, C4 tires)
2) Mercedes : 1'30″322 (Russell, C4 tires)
3) Sauber: 1’30″647 ​​(Zhou, C4 tires)
4) Red Bull: 1’30″679 (Pérez, C3 tires)
5) RB: 1’30″775 (tsunoda, C4 tires)
6) Williams: 1'30″984 (Albon, C4 tires)
7) McLaren : 1'31″030 (Piastres, C3 tires)
8) Aston Martin : 1'31″159 (Alonso, C3 tires)
9) Haas : 1'31″686 (Hulkenberg, C3 tires)
10) Alpine : 1'32″061 (Or with, C3 tires)

Best team times (2025)

1) Williams: 1’29″348 (Carlos Sainz)
2) Ferrari: 1'29″379 (Lewis Hamilton)
3) Mercedes: 1’29″545 (George Russell)
4) Red Bull: 1'29″566 (Max Verstappen)
5) McLaren: 1’29″940 (Oscar Piastri)
6) Alpine : 1'30″040 (Pierre Gasly)
7) Aston Martin: 1'30″229 (Lance stroll)
8) Racing Bulls: 1’30″497 (Yuki Tsunoda)
9) Haas: 1’30″728 (Esteban Ocon)
10) Sauber: 1’31″057 (Gabriel Bortoleto)

Number of laps completed (2024)

1) Haas: 441 laps
2) Ferrari: 416
3) Red Bull: 391
4 ex.) Aston Martin: 379
4 ex.) Kick Sauber: 379
6) BR: 367
7) Mercedes: 361
8) Alpine : 334
9) McLaren: 328
10) Williams: 299

Number of laps completed (2025)

1) Mercedes: 458 laps
2) Haas: 457
3) BR: 454
4) Alpine : 405
5) Williams: 395
6) Ferrari: 382
7) McLaren: 381
8) Sauber: 354
9) Aston Martin: 306
10) Red Bull: 304