The first day of Formula 1 testing was wrapped up under the lights in Bahrain, kickstarting the 2025 season.
Lando Norris set the fastest time on a 1:30.430 ahead of George Russell, whose fastest time was a 0.157s slower than the McLaren, with Max Verstappen a further two tenths slower in the Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton was only 13th quickest after completing 70 laps, although this is caveated by the fact that he ran in the morning session, with Charles Leclerc doing the afternoon. The Monogasque was fourth fastest with a best time that was fourth-tenths off Norris after completing 71 laps.
The team who completed the most laps was Haas with a combined 160 between Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, while Mercedes completed the most out of the top five teams with 148 between Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
With all that in mind, here are the main takeaways from the first day of F1 testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Mercedes has taken copying Red Bull to ‘extreme’ levels with their 2025 car
F1 teams often take inspiration from rivals when it comes to car design, with some taking it to varying extremes. Racing Point (now Aston Martin) once turned up with a complete copy of Mercedes’ car from 2020, while others sometimes copy specific areas.
The great thing about testing is that teams can finally see which parts their rivals have taken inspiration from, and it appears Mercedes has been doing some work on copying Red Bull in the off-season.
According to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz, Mercedes has copied a lot of components from the RB20 with their W16: “Down at Mercedes, they have been doing a little job on the front left brake drum.
“They have certainly taken some design cues from recent Red Bulls, but they have taken it to a more extreme level.
“Just beneath the wing mirror, you can see one of the sidepod air intakes is the vertical one which Red Bull brought to their car last year. It’s extreme and a different design idea to the Mercedes of last year.
“It’s quite different to what Mercedes are used to. They have stayed with the push-rod suspension which Ferrari and Red Bull don’t have.”
Max Verstappen up to speed instantly with RB21
Verstappen appeared to be instantly at home with RB21 despite rumours that he was unhappy with Red Bull ignoring his requests to improve the car balance.
Taking to the track in the afternoon session he was instantly within two-tenths of the quickest time set by Antonelli on the harder compound tyres, with the Mercedes having set his times on the Medium compound.
Verstappen ended the day having completed 74 laps for Red Bull without any major issues, with the only drama for the team being Liam Lawson suffering from a spin in the morning which Christian Horner claimed was due to a gust of wind.
Lengthy stoppage for power cut helped Lando Norris and McLaren
Testing was stopped for a lengthy period due to a power outage at the Bahrain circuit, which was later confirmed to be due to a “external substation failure.”
It is the second year in a row that testing has faced a lengthy disruption, after the drain cover incident that occurred last year that cost the teams two hours. As a result the FIA extended the afternoon session by two hours, which was handy for Norris and McLaren.
Norris only completed four laps in the first two hours of the afternoon session because McLaren was busy making an important setup change to his car.
With the extra hour added on it meant he didn’t lose any further time, with him immediately going out on the Medium tyres to set the fastest lap of the day.
Mood within Alpine is optimistic after nightmare 2024 test
Alpine comes into the 2025 test after their nightmare start last year, after they turned up to the first race with a car that was overweight due to it failing the FIA crash tests.
The team also faced the closure of its Viry Chatillon power unit facility last year, with 2025 being its final year of operation before it switches to Mercedes engines in 2026. Kravitz felt the team would struggle with moral this year, but according to AMuS journalist Tobias Grüner, they are optimistic about this season.
“We asked Alpine what the mood was like. The difference to the Bahrain test 12 months ago could not be greater. The engineers are optimistic about the season,” wrote Grüner.
“Except for a small problem with the shakedown yesterday, everything is going according to plan. The car does what it should. You don’t expect miracles, but it should be enough to swim in the midfield, we hear.”
Tyre choices running up to testing proved to be crucial
Choosing the right tyres for pre-season testing suddenly became a talking point on day one because of the conditions teams faced.
Bahrain is usually picked for pre-season testing because of its consistent climate, but this week it is unseasonably cold with teams also facing winds of up to 9kph (5.5mph).
Tyres choice proved to be important, with Ferrari stocking up on the softer rubber while only Aston Martin and Williams brought the harder tyres with them.
Teams had to choose between 35 sets and informed Pirelli what they wanted to bring weeks in advance, but it looks like some have made a better choice than others.
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