Formula 1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain is a tantalizing tease – three days, 3,896 laps, and still, it’s a puzzle wrapped in a fuel-load enigma.
Lap times? Meh, they’re coy whispers, not gospel, with teams hiding engine modes and run plans like poker champs. Single-lap glory means squat when no one’s showing their ace.
Yet, amidst the clichés – “Melbourne will tell all” – the paddock’s sleuths dissect every corner, tyre mark, and twitchy rear end to rank the grid.
Our rundown of the 2025 pecking order isn’t a crystal ball for Australia; it’s a snapshot of Bahrain’s vibes, blending data with educated hunches.
From McLaren’s swagger to Sauber’s stumbles, here’s how the ten teams stack up, quirks and all –purely on what we saw.
Our Ranking:
Sauber - #10
Sauber’s Bahrain test was less a triumph and more a gentle stumble. The C45 wobbled through Turns 9 and 10 at Sakhir, leaving Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto wrestling a car that wouldn’t quite play nice.
Long runs trailed by 1.3 seconds, and a stiff setup hinted at a tricky balancing act ahead. Still, it’s not all gloom for last year’s bottom-dwellers – focus is already shifting to Audi’s 2026 debut.
The paddock’s pundits peg them as backmarkers, with Q1 exits looming, but there’s room to claw back some dignity before Melbourne in our opinion.
Slow and steady might just win… something.
Racing Bulls – #9
Racing Bulls strutted a stunning livery in Bahrain, but their 2025 outlook seems less glamorous.
Yuki Tsunoda signaled a downgrade, suggesting the team has slipped behind its rivals since last year, setting up a tough fight for early points.
Long runs clocked a respectable one-second gap to McLaren, offering some hope, though rookie Isack Hadjar joins Tsunoda, replacing Liam Lawson.
Testing wasn’t a disaster – call them second-tier midfield contenders, a few tenths shy of the pack’s front.
Understeer plagued early runs, but tweaks softened the blow by day three, leaving a manageable front-end quirk. With decent mileage and data banked, they’re not lost – just not leading the midfield charge yet.
Haas – #8
Haas played coy in Bahrain, keeping their cards close in a midfield tighter than a pit lane parking lot.
New recruit Esteban Ocon churned out long runs on day three, trailing McLaren by over a second but flaunting minimal tyre wear—a 2024 hallmark they’re doubling down on.
Single-lap pace ranked ninth, yet whispers of race-day potential linger. Team boss Ayao Komatsu shrugged, “We are in the ballpark, I don’t know exactly where.”
A rogue engine cover flapped off Ollie Bearman’s car—echoing Ocon’s Silverstone shakedown snafu—but it’s a quick fastener fix, not a crisis. Smooth sailing otherwise, Haas looks quietly scrappy, if not flashy.
Aston Martin – #7
Aston Martin’s Bahrain test was a mixed bag with a side of “meh.” Team boss Andy Cowell cheered, “Initial feedback suggests we have made progress with the driveability of the car,” but admitted, “we’ve discovered areas that could be better.”
Stability’s up, yet corner-entry wobbles had Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll often tip-toeing, hinting the rear’s still a bit of a diva.
With only 306 laps – barely beating Red Bull – a disrupted test obscured their true pace. Alonso’s pegging a slow start, mirroring 2024’s fade, while Stroll’s fitness woes didn’t help.
Eyes are mainly on 2026 with Newey and Honda looming, 2025 might be a slog – stable, sure, but not speedy.
Williams – #6
Williams turned heads in Bahrain, flashing potential despite a 2026 fixation. Carlos Sainz, fresh from Ferrari, and Alex Albon powered the FW47 to the test’s fastest lap on day two – though Sainz tempered the hype.
“I don’t think we’ve done the necessary step to be fighting with the top teams this year.”
So, no top-tier dreams, but perhaps a midfield crown’s in sight. Long runs shone bright, outpacing peers, and James Vowles raved about Sainz’s savvy input.
The car danced impressively, with only fleeting twitches to keep drivers honest. Higher engine modes might’ve juiced the stats, but a clean test says Williams could bully the midfield – Alpine be warned.
Alpine – #5
Alpine’s Bahrain test was a glow-up from last year’s overweight flop, landing them in a midfield slugfest.
Pierre Gasly and rookie Jack Doohan beamed about the A525’s manners, and it showed – long runs trailed the leaders by six-tenths, neck-and-neck with Williams, despite a heftier fuel load.
They’ve shed 2024’s baggage, building on a late-season surge to eye fifth place, the “best of the rest” crown behind F1’s fab four.
Gasly’s pace outshone Doohan’s, hinting at a rookie wobble that could sting against Williams’ balanced duo. Still, Alpine’s car inspires confidence – less a wallflower, more a contender ready to dance.
Mercedes – #4
Mercedes cruised through Bahrain with a serene W16, leaving George Russell grinning and rookie Kimi Antonelli steady.
Russell called it “seamless,” and it showed – long runs matched Ferrari’s pace, with stability trackside and no hiccups to sour the mood. No development disasters here, a relief after recent years’ stumbles.
The car’s balance shone, despite pesky front-brake locking, nudging it just ahead of the Scuderia. McLaren’s still the pace-setter, though, and chilly Bahrain temps might’ve flattered a car that’s wilted in heat before.
Still, it’s Mercedes’ cheeriest pre-season since 2022’s ground-effect dawn – solid, not spectacular, but with a whiff of promise.
Red Bull – #3
Red Bull’s RB21 showed its stuff in Bahrain, but it’s not all champagne wishes yet. Max Verstappen called it “decent” with “a bit of work to do,” spinning once to keep things spicy, while Helmut Marko cheered fixed balance woes.
Technical director Pierre Wache wasn’t sold, however, admitting, “I am not as happy as I could be because the car did not respond how we wanted at times, but it is going in the right direction, just maybe the magnitude of the direction was not as big as we expected.”
Liam Lawson’s race sim lagged seven-tenths behind McLaren – Verstappen might’ve shaved that. Quick? Yes. Polished? Not quite.
Ferrari – #2
Ferrari’s Bahrain test was a flirtation with brilliance that didn’t quite seal the deal.
Lewis Hamilton, the Scuderia’s new knight in shiny armour, and favorite son Charles Leclerc piloted a nimble SF-25 that danced near Mercedes’ pace – until it didn’t.
Understeer, sliding rears, and excessive tyre wear nagged, while a botched final day muddied the picture.
Long runs lagged over four-tenths behind McLaren, with Hamilton aborting a race sim after 12 laps and straight-line sluggishness hinting at engine mode games.
No disasters, but against McLaren’s polish and Mercedes’ step-up, Ferrari’s 17-year title drought won’t end on this vibe alone. Promising, not dazzling – yet.
McLaren – #1
McLaren exited Bahrain as 2025’s pre-season darlings, their MCL39 a pace-setting beast.
Lando Norris’ Thursday long run was a masterclass – consistently rapid, with onboard footage that might’ve sent rivals scrambling for antacids.
Though fifth in raw lap times, their race pace topped the charts, shrugging off a twitchy rear that Norris noted: “We’ve struggled a bit more with the rear than we would have liked.”
Andrea Stella spun it as a Bahrain-friendly quirk, despite wind amplifying it on day three.
Interestingly, Red Bull eyed the MCL39’s bold front suspension tweak – wishbones and anti-dive dialed to “risky”—but it’s working.
Favorites? Yes. Untouchable? Not quite – two to five tenths ahead, says the paddock grapevine.
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