F1 testing is done and dusted, and what Jolyon Palmer saw in the Bahrain desert from one team suggests they could be an ‘outside contender’ to take a podium this season.
Only Alpine would break up the established order last season, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly both reaching the rostrum at the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Every other podium spot during the 24 rounds went the way of a driver from McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes.
Max Verstappen led the way for podium finishes over the Red Bull racer’s run to the 2024 F1 drivers’ title with 14. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc (13) led the best of the rest ahead of Carlos Sainz (9), Oscar Piastri (8), Lewis Hamilton (5), Sergio Perez and George Russell (4).
But Palmer believes another team could reach the rostrum this season after their ‘standout’ showing at F1 testing at the Bahrain Grand Prix track. The 2025 Formula 1 calendar will also boast a joint-record 24 rounds, like 2024, starting at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
Jolyon Palmer tips Williams as an ‘outside contender’ to score a podium after F1 testing
That team is Williams, who impressed Palmer in Sakhir with the FW47 seeming strong at the hands of Alex Albon plus new arrival Sainz. Williams have welcomed the Spaniard into Grove after he was released by Ferrari to make room for Hamilton to race in red alongside Leclerc.
Palmer thinks Sainz joining Williams from Ferrari will also lift the team who have not taken a podium finish since Russell was classified in P2 at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. The Spa race was abandoned during only the third lap owing to the wet conditions that delayed the start.
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| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | PODIUMS | 2024 GRAND PRIX |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 14 | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Miami, Emilia Romagna, Canada, Spain, British, Dutch, Singapore, United States, Sao Paulo, Qatar |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 13 | Australia, China, Miami, Emilia Romagna, Canada, Spain, British, Hungarian, Dutch, Italy, Singapore, Mexico City, Abu Dhabi |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 13 | Saudi Arabia, Australia, Miami, Emilia Romagna, Monaco, Belgium, Dutch, Italy, Azerbaijan, United States, Mexico City, Qatar, Abu Dhabi |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 9 | Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco, Austria, United States, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 8 | Monaco, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Azerbaijan, Singapore, Qatar |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 5 | Spain, British, Hungary, Belgium, Las Vegas |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 4 | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 4 | Canada, Austria, Azerbaijan, Las Vegas |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1 | Sao Paulo |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1 | Sao Paulo |
Williams have to go back to the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Lance Stroll finished in P3 for the team’s last true podium finish on merit. But Palmer feels they are the team who can benefit from a ‘wild’ event, like Ocon and Gasly’s double podium at the 2024 Sao Paulo GP.
“Williams and Alpine were the standouts,” Palmer told the official Formula 1 website. “More than a double race distance was achieved by both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon on their full days in the car, and they did some fully-fledged performance running to set headline times.
“The car looks good on track, and I think the signing of Sainz will already be lifting Williams. Having someone with the experience and speed of the Spaniard alongside a mainstay in Albon should mean the drivers extract more performance alone this year.
“Combined with some small improvements on the car, I’d say Williams should be a constant points threat this year – and maybe an outside contender for a podium on a wild day.”
Carlos Sainz sees the potential in Williams’ 2025 F1 car after testing in Bahrain
Sainz impressed Williams team principal James Vowles with his instant pace in their car after arriving from Ferrari at the start of the year. Vowles will now hope the 30-year-old also helps Albon to turn the team’s fortunes around after slipping backward during the 2024 campaign.
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Williams secured their highest in the F1 constructors’ championship since 2017 with Vowles in charge in 2023 with P7 yet could only claim P9 last year with 17 points – 11 fewer than in 2023. Williams are already focusing on the 2026 regulations, too, given the changes coming.
But, like Palmer who tips the Grove crew as his favourites to secure a surprise podium finish, Sainz sees the potential in Williams’ 2025 car. They did not unlock all of the FW47’s speed in Sakhir, though, so will fly to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with pace to discover.
