Ferrari lays the groundwork in Bahrain with 141 laps of promise

Ferrari kicked off its preparations for 2025 in Bahrain with an impressive 141 laps, equivalent to 763 kilometers, across eight hours split between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

But the day wasn’t about chasing glory or headline times; it was all about laying the groundwork and peeling back the layers of the Scuderia’s SF-25 to see what it’s made of.

Hamilton and Leclerc followed identical programmes, laser-focused on the essentials: mapping the car’s behavior, validating simulator data, and fine-tuning the beast for the battles ahead.

Aero rakes, tyre switches, and fuel load tweaks dominated the agenda, with performance taking a back seat to process.

Yet, even the best-laid plans hit a snag. A power outage, courtesy of a failed external sub-station, plunged the circuit into silence for nearly an hour in the afternoon

The FIA and squads rallied, tacking an extra hour onto the session to claw back the lost time, and Ferrari pressed on undeterred.

By the time the chequered flag waved at 20:00, the SF-25 had proven its mettle, and the Italian outfit had every reason to feel a flicker of optimism for the road ahead.

Hamilton’s Ferrari Dawn

Taking the morning shift, the seven-time champion was the first to breathe life into the SF-25, the car bristling with aero rakes as it sliced through the desert air.

His mission? A deep dive into the car’s soul – mapping its systems, correlating track data with months of simulator toil, and testing its manners across C3 tyres, varied aero setups, and shifting fuel loads.

Practice starts and pit stops rounded out a busy 70-lap stint, his best effort a 1’31”834 on the C3s.

Reflecting on his official Ferrari baptism, Hamilton couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.

“Testing is always exciting,” he said. “It’s the first time you get to see what everyone has been developing and can start to get a feel for your own car and the year ahead.

“Our focus right now is on experimenting with different things, gathering as much data as possible and getting familiar with the car, and we’ve already learned a lot.”

For Hamilton, it’s not about pace yet – it’s too early to really understand performance” – but the vibes are good, and he’s itching to climb back in.

“There’s more to do over the next few days to get through our programme and understand the car to the best of our ability, but right now I’m looking forward to getting out there again tomorrow.”

Leclerc’s Steady Charge

Leclerc picked up the baton in the afternoon, the cockpit tweaked to his liking during the lunch break before he hit the track shortly after 15:00.

Mirroring Hamilton’s programme, the Monegasque’s rhythm was disrupted by the circuit-wide power failure after 17:00h, but the extended session kept him on course, racking up 71 laps and a day’s-best 1’30”878 on C3s.

“It feels good to be back on track. The whole team put a lot of effort into the SF-25 project over the winter break, so it’s exciting to finally get down to work with it,” he shared.

The day’s smoothness was a quiet triumph.

“It’s always a positive to have a session without anything unexpected happening in terms of your run plan, although of course, it’s still too early to come to any conclusions about our performance.”

With data now in hand, Leclerc’s gaze is forward.

“We’re going to analyse our data from today and make use of what we learn tonight when we start work again tomorrow,” he added, a hint of determination in his measured optimism.

As the desert dusk settled, the message was clear: Ferrari’s not here to play games – they’re here to build a contender. With two more days of testing to come, the SF-25’s secrets are only just beginning to unfold.

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