After months of waiting, the F1 action returns with pre-season testing in Bahrain. Teams across the field will have their first significant track time with their 2025 cars – before the season officially kicks off at the Australian GP.
Testing is always an essential part of the year, even in the final year of a regulation set – when teams already have a strong grasp on how these cars function.
Considering how fine the margins were last year, having a clean test any avoiding any significant issues will be invaluable.
That aside, there are some noteworthy conclusions that can be drawn from team tyre selections for the Bahrain tests.
What to look out for in Bahrain testing
Across the field, there are important narratives and themes to follow.
Most notably, last season’s front-runners will be under pressure to keep themselves at the front end of the field.
More specifically, the challenge will be to establish a clear advantage over the rest. McLaren were somewhat successful in achieving this last year, given the MCL39 was the fastest car after Miami.
However, at various events, different teams could match or even exceed McLaren’s pace.
For the papaya team, as well as their rivals, the aim will be to avoid the chaotic Championship battle of last year- and instead establish a significant buffer.
Ferrari and McLaren have both pursued relatively radical changes for their 2025 cars, confident in their wind tunnel data and aerodynamic baseline.
Meanwhile, there is slightly less clarity on the progress Red Bull and Mercedes have made. Reports on these teams have been relatively limited over the winter, who have kept their cards close to their chests.
First images of the RB21 emerged today at the team’s filming day in Bahrain. However, there are growing suspicions that Red Bull will not unveil the most significant parts of their 2025 car until round 1 in Bahrain.
Further down the field, there are also key questions to be answered.
Aston Martin, for example, ended last season firmly on the defensive. Although they finished 5th in the standings, they were often slower than Haas and Alpine in the closing rounds.
With Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile focused on 2026 development, this year will demonstrate to what extent Aston can utilise their new wind tunnel and simulator tools before the next regulations.
Tyre selections confirmed
Unlike during race weekends, when all teams receive the same tyre allocations, the field have the freedom to select which tyre compounds they want in pre-season testing.
The C1 tyre, the hardest compound available, has been favoured by Aston Martin more than anyone else. In the context of their poor race pace last season, especially in the context of their strong qualifying pace at the early stages of 2024, this is an understandable choice.
Meanwhile, Mercedes are taking a significant number of the C4 tyres – indicating that low fuel running will be more prominent in their fun plan.
McLaren and Red Bull are taking 9 and 11 sets of C2 tyres respectively, a larger figure than the other top outfits.
As teams work to correlate their data between the track and wind tunnel, every decision made will have a significant impact.
