Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are the centre of attention at this week’s Bahrain test. Ferrari have dominated the publicity in the winter after the signing of the seven-time world champion.
The Scuderia have already completed four days of testing with Hamilton. He’s driven the 2023 car twice in TPC runs, the 2024 car in a Pirelli tyre test and the brand-new SF-25 in a Fiorano shakedown.
But these three days in Sakhir, split equally between the two drivers, are the most valuable. Hamilton and Leclerc will be allowed to complete unrestricted mileage in their challenger for the year ahead.
What’s more, observers will be able to study onboard footage and the car’s behaviour from trackside, as well as the lap time data. It will be the first real glimpse into how Hamilton is faring at his new team.
Ferrari finished just 14 points adrift of McLaren in last year’s championship. They haven’t lifted the trophy since 2008, but this was the closest they’ve come.
The biggest prize is, of course, the drivers’ crown. Departing driver Carlos Sainz has named Leclerc as a contender, but Hamilton has become an unknown quantity after a disappointing showing in 2024.
‘Rumours’ suggest Ferrari have overtaken McLaren before Lewis Hamilton’s debut
The 2025 season is expected to be one of the closest in the sport’s history. It’s the final year of the ground-effect ruleset, so the convergence seen in the second half of the 2024 season should continue.
A gain of even half a tenth on a rival team could be decisive. But equally, it will be harder than ever to extract that performance as teams reach the limits of their concepts.
Still, the ‘rumours in the industry’, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, are that Ferrari have inched ahead of champions McLaren. They apparently start the year in ‘pole position’ for both titles.
Speaking earlier this winter, Martin Brundle said the ‘feeling’ was that Ferrari had improved their car more than McLaren and co. Team boss Fred Vasseur has said that the car is 99% different to its predecessor.
Lewis Hamilton warned by close Charles Leclerc ally as Ferrari battle looms
These ‘rumours’ could be seismic. Ferrari haven’t won the drivers’ for 18 years, while Hamilton is pursuing a never-before-seen eighth title.
One problem could be that the pair take too many points off one another. By contrast, reigning champion Max Verstappen should decisively beat Liam Lawson at Red Bull.
The form book suggests Leclerc will beat Hamilton in qualifying, which would in turn give him a favourable strategy in the race. The driver who starts ahead tends to be allowed the first pit stop.
Ex-Ferrari engineer Xavi Marcos has warned Hamilton about Leclerc, who’s driving at a ‘really high level’. The Monegasque knows it could be a legacy-defining season, regardless of how the intra-team battle pans out.
