F1 Pre-Season Testing Day 1: Antonelli and Norris Lead the Way

F1 pre-season day 1 at the Bahrain International Circuit saw teams focus on getting the laps in. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli set the tone in the morning, while Lando Norris took charge in the afternoon session.

What We’ve Learned from Day 1 of F1 Pre-Season Testing

F1 pre-season day 1 began with teams focusing on performance and data collection. As it is only the first day of testing, it is difficult to conclude what we saw on track, but there were notable developments to highlight from the first session.

Beautiful, aren’t they? 😍#F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/G0PbJNDK6C

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 26, 2025

F1 Pre-Season Testing Day 1 Morning Session: Antonelli Sets the Pace

Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets in the Mercedes W16 in the morning session. The rookie has to prove himself this year and got off to a good start. 

Red Bull’s Liam Lawson followed closely, finishing just over a tenth adrift of the Italian’s benchmark. The Kiwi replaced Sergio Pérez for the 2025 season. Much like Antonelli, all eyes will be on him as he navigates becoming Verstappen’s teammate.

Lawson experienced the only major incident of the session, spinning in the first sector and flat-spotting his tyres. However, he avoided contact with the barriers and resumed testing without further complications.

Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda secured third and fourth, within two-tenths of Antonelli’s best effort. For two mid-field teams, these are the results they will be looking for to ensure they can steadily progress throughout the season. 

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, covering 70 laps in Ferrari’s SF-25. 

The seven-time world champion has acknowledged that work remains before he feels completely at ease with the car, but a clean session was exactly what he needed.

Jack Doohan and Ollie Bearman began their F1 rookie campaigns while Oscar Piastri – no longer the youngest on the grid – had a steady session.

#F1TESTING DAY 1: MORNING SESSION 👀

A strong start from 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli #F1 pic.twitter.com/wQZXCXLTO6

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 26, 2025

READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli Fastest in First Morning Session of Bahrain Tests

F1 Pre-Season Testing Day 1 Morning Session: Norris Powers Through

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day fastest, posting a time 0.157s quicker than Mercedes’ George Russell. Reigning champion Max Verstappen secured third for Red Bull.

A key takeaway from F1 Pre-Season Testing Day 1 is that Mercedes and Red Bull placed each of their cars inside the top ten.

Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Williams also managed to get their drivers into the top ten, with Carlos Sainz in fifth and Alex Albon in ninth. This bodes well for Sainz who switched from Ferrari to the British team.

Charles Leclerc took his Ferrari to fourth, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly secured sixth. For Gasly, this is impressive and highlights Alpine’s desire for more in 2025.

Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda completed the top ten.

The Rankings

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The Next Two Days

With pre-season testing continuing across the next two days, teams will focus on fine-tuning their cars and strategies. Day 1 was relatively calm with things looking good for all.

Whether this is an accurate picture of the season to come remains to be seen. The following days are crucial for all teams as they prepare for lights out in Australia.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko: Hamilton “Can Continue Where He Left Off” in 2021

Main Photo

IMAGO / Eibner

Recording Date: 26.02.2025