Although every Formula 1 team will play down what happened over the three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, it does give fans an insight into the potential pecking order for the upcoming campaign.
McLaren came out on top in testing and carried on the form they showed last year that helped them win the constructors’ championship.
However, their nearest rivals – Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes – will all have different reasons to be happy after leaving the Bahrain International Circuit.
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is a reason for excitement for team principal Frederic Vasseur, even if there’s the expectation that it’ll take him some time to get up to speed.
Red Bull appeared to have taken a step forward when the car was on track, but Liam Lawson didn’t always look happy in the garage and even Max Verstappen spun on the final day as Christian Horner’s team completed the few laps in the paddock.
For Mercedes, both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli looked quick and appeared to have a better handle on the car.
However, their problem over the past few seasons has been failing to understand why they’re performing well or underperforming at certain tracks and only time will tell as to whether they’ve solved that conundrum.
Red Bull chief Helmut Marko was at the test in Bahrain and keeping a close eye on the progress of all four of the team’s drivers in the paddock.
New Racing Bulls star Isack Hadjar impressed in recent private tests, but he and Yuki Tsunoda didn’t pull up any trees with their performances over the three days in Sakhir.
Marko spoke to F1 Insider after the event and gave his verdict on what he believes is the ordering of the top teams on the grid heading into the Australian Grand Prix.
Helmut Marko makes worrying 2025 prediction for Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton
According to the report, Marko believes that Norris is two-tenths faster than Verstappen based on their race simulations in testing.
The Austrian veteran has always said that Verstappen is capable of making up that deficit on his own given his unique ability to extract more pace out of the RB21.
However, the Dutchman isn’t quite as confident, believing the gap to be nearer half a second per lap which even he can’t make up on his own.
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He admitted, ‘We are not the favourites for the season opener’ which is the first time since 2021 that he’s gone into a race as the underdog.
Red Bull’s car isn’t ‘running perfectly yet’ and the lack of completed laps means that they’ll be doing a lot of their learning in the simulator this week and in practice in Australia.
When asked about how he thinks the grid will look at the start of the 2025 season, Marko explained: “Norris is in front, followed by Max, then Ferrari with Leclerc and Mercedes.”
Marko chooses his words carefully and would have made a point of only mentioning Charles Leclerc in his ranking, rather than Hamilton as well.
It’s why he’s not included Lawson alongside Verstappen who is going to take some time to get up to speed in his new team, especially as he’s only started 11 Grand Prix at this point in his career.
Mercedes insiders verdict on Lewis Hamilton during pre-season testing
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made a point of wishing Hamilton the best as he takes the next step in his career.
However, once the five red lights go out at the start of the first race, he’ll be hoping that Russell and Antonelli get the better of his former driver.
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Mercedes insiders were concerned about Hamilton after witnessing his first day of testing.
It was a viewpoint that Marko agreed with and he’s stuck with his initial feelings towards the 40-year-old’s chances this year after seeing him take part in three sessions in Bahrain.
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