F1 Testing: Lewis Hamilton positivity tempered by faulty Ferrari, McLaren and Lando Norris favourites? | F1 News

Following three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Sky Sports F1 analyse the key talking points from the event.

Hamilton positivity tempered by faulty Ferrari finale

So much of the anticipation ahead of this new Formula 1 season has been centred around Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, and that hype certainly showed no signs of abating at testing.

We’d already seen the iconic first pictures of him in Maranello, we’d seen the runs in old cars, and we’d heard his first thoughts on what early life at F1’s most-famous team was like, but it was this week which was always going to provide early answers to one of the biggest questions – just how was he going to get on with his first Ferrari car?

A handful of off-track moments during the first morning made it a slightly scrappy beginning in Bahrain for Hamilton, but he set the second-quickest time of his second outing and afterwards said he was “really enjoying” the SF-25 and “slowly bonding” with it.

He went further ahead of his afternoon running on the final day, saying: “I would say this is the most positive feeling that I’ve had in a long time.”

At the same time, Hamilton has also repeatedly stressed that, just six weeks into his big new career adventure, he still has much to learn about not only Ferrari’s new car but their settings and working practices. Indeed, having to absorb so much new information, he describes every day at Ferrari so far as being one of “significance”.

In that same Friday lunchtime press conference, he spoke with enthusiasm about completing his first race simulation for the team when he took to the track. However, in perhaps the first setback to his preparations, that never quite materialised with his afternoon running featuring only 47 laps and Ferrari finishing the test slightly early behind the screens in their garage.

What consequence, if any, that late loss of long running will have for Hamilton and Ferrari heading to the first truly big moment of their relationship in Melbourne remains to be seen.

McLaren stand out after Norris stint

The headlines at testing are often generated by the fastest times, but the most telling information is often hidden elsewhere.

Across the three days, there was one run in particular that caught the eye of those studying the lap-by-lap data, and it belonged to McLaren’s Lando Norris.

On Thursday afternoon he put together a race simulation that has convinced the paddock the reigning constructors’ champions are still the team to beat going into the new season.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella attempted to play down the run as he pointed out that conditions were optimal, but other championship hopefuls were running at a similar time and couldn’t keep up with Norris’ pace.

“Norris is the outlier,” Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok said at the time. “It’s extraordinarily fast on his final stint.”

From their launch at Silverstone on February 13 until now, there has been a confidence and assuredness about everything McLaren have said and done.

This is in great contrast to the last couple of years and suggests Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri won’t have to play catch-up this time around.

Concerning noises from Red Bull

Going into testing, the two teams expected to pose the greatest threat to the defence of their constructors’ crown were Ferrari and Red Bull.

Ferrari had their moments, and while they didn’t show anything comparable to Norris’ race simulation before Hamilton’s Friday afternoon’s issues, there still seemed to be plenty of positivity emanating from the Italian team’s camp.

For Red Bull, who were so strong at testing in 2023 and 2024 that most had given Verstappen the title before the opening race, their 2025 experience was a marked contrast.

While every single driver struggled with handling issues at times, particularly in the blustery conditions, the Red Bull was notably tricky.

Both Verstappen and Liam Lawson had spins, but more importantly regularly struggled to keep control of the RB21.

Verstappen showed some pace on Friday evening but was edged by Mercedes’ Russell, which even factoring in the possibility of different engine settings and fuel levels, would have been unthinkable in the last couple of years.

But perhaps most striking were the words that came from Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache in their post-event release.

He said: “It was not as smooth a test as we expected and the team expected, but it is better to find some problems here than later down the line and it is why we are here, to understand the car.”

While nothing is guaranteed, such a statement perhaps hints that Red Bull will start the season on the back foot, at the very least compared to what they have become used to.

Antonelli sparkles among rookies

Of the six ‘rookies’ featuring in testing, there was one who undoubtedly attracted a little more attention than the others – Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The 18-year-old Italian has been picked out by Toto Wolff as a generational talent, and the early signs were positive.

By all accounts, and unsurprisingly to those who know anything about him, Antonelli was very quickly on the pace.

There were scruffy moments, which there will undoubtedly be plenty of this season as he hones an aggressive driving style, but Antonelli showed enough to suggest Wolff won’t regret his gamble.

“With Kimi Antonelli, I think there is a sparkle there, a special magic,” Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok said.

Lawson was solid but there were signs the gulf between the New Zealander and his team-mate Verstappen will be rather significant – his job will be to gradually close it.

Oliver Bearman’s best time of the week ranked last of all, but that didn’t tell the full story as the Brit was denied the chance to go for a performance run amid some issues for Haas.

Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber and Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls both appeared to make solid progress in their time on track.

The word in the paddock was that Jack Doohan failed to dispel unfortunate speculation over his future at Alpine, with Franco Colapinto waiting in the wings should the Australian not meet the expectations of the ruthless Flavio Briatore.

Alpine, Williams on the right track

Briatore’s ruthless streak is only likely to be emboldened by the fact his Alpine team appear to be on the up.

After a dismal first half of 2024, the Enstone squad look set to start this season in much better shape, potentially battling for regular points at the front of the midfield.

It’s a team with a similar recent story, at least in terms of form, that are tipped to be battling them for the position as best of the rest.

Having started last season short of parts, an issue exposed by crashing chaos, Williams look far more organised this time around.

Carlos Sainz appears to have quickly settled into life at his new team, and there is little doubt that the quality line-up he forms alongside Alex Albon will make Williams tough to beat for the other midfield squads.

In contrast, Aston Martin’s drop-off from their brilliant start to the 2023 season looks set to plunge to further depths after a miserable testing showing.

Adrian Newey has a lot of work to do when he takes up his role with the team next week, but even the legendary designer might accept 2025 as a lost cause and focus his energy on next year’s new regulations.

When is the first F1 race?

For the first time since 2019, the season-opener will be held in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16. The first race has switched from Bahrain to Australia due to Ramadan taking place throughout March.

There are 24 events on the 2025 F1 calendar, the same number as last year, with the season ending at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 5-7.

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime