Formula 1 testing has finally given us a broader picture of how the 2025 competitive order will look like ahead of the new season.
Although they did not set the fastest time, it was clear McLaren was the benchmark team after the three days given Lando Norris’ race runs on the second day and his comfortable pace over a lap.
McLaren’s times were roughly two-tenths quicker than their nearest rivals Red Bull, who completed the least amount of laps over the course of the three days.
Red Bull only completed 304 laps compared to McLaren’s 381, while it was Mercedes that led the way with 458 laps between George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli admitted that he still needed to understand the Pirelli tyres, despite having clocked up a lot of mileage over the test. Jolyon Palmer said he was concerned about the Italian struggling on the brakes, having carried too much speed into some corners.
Discussing Mercedes form on Sky Sports F1, journalist Craig Slater revealed what he was told about the GPS data relating to the Brackley-based outfit.
Mercedes ranked second-best in GPS traces during F1 testing
Mercedes has focused a lot on improving the drivability of their car in high temperatures, having struggled with swings in performance last year.
Antonelli said Russell showed him where he can improve after looking at his teammate’s data, after the Briton set the fastest time on the final day.
According to Slater, Mercedes’ GPS data shows that they are currently the second quickest around the Bahrain circuit behind McLaren, despite the pecking order appearing to be in Red Bulls favour.
“An individual I’ve spoken to with access to GPS data have Mercedes second quickest here. That’s interesting because I’m not sure Mercedes have been that self-confident during this test and they’ve got one very young driver and George Russell who is leading their challenge this year,” said Slater.
Mercedes had ‘solid’ three days of F1 testing
Mercedes had one of the more straightforward tests out of the main four teams, after Red Bull said they encountered some issues with their car which led to extended time in the garage.
McLaren also spent a fair amount of time in the garage, although they still appeared confident in their package compared to Red Bull. Mercedes trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin says they had a ‘solid’ three days when speaking in their press release.
“We’ve had a solid three days of pre-season testing here in Bahrain. The team has worked hard over the winter to improve on the weaknesses of the W15 and, from the initial signs, we seem to have made good steps in those areas with our 2025 challenger.
“Despite a few red flag interruptions and some rain, we’ve managed to get through most of the programme. It is a testament to the hard work of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth that we were able to complete the most laps of any team over the course of the test.”
All eyes will be on FP1 in Melbourne to see who has optimised their package the most and who will be playing catch up.
