The only official test before the 2025 Formula 1 season has come to an end, with teams completing three packed days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit. All 20 race drivers took to the track, putting their new cars through their paces ahead of the season opener in Melbourne. Despite some unusual weather conditions, the test provided valuable data, with three different drivers topping the timesheets on different days. Now, with testing complete, the countdown to the first Grand Prix of the year is officially on.

DAY 1/3

The only official Formula 1 test session before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix wrapped up at the Sakhir circuit, giving teams and drivers their only chance to fine-tune things ahead of the 75th season of Formula 1.

All 20 drivers took to the track on the opening day, offering a first glimpse of the action set to unfold when racing begins in Melbourne. But conditions were unusually cool for Bahrain—air temperatures hovered around 15°C for most of the day, and strong northerly winds made it feel even colder while also blowing sand onto the track.

On the tire front, the C3 compound was the most used, making up more than three-quarters of the total laps (1,017 out of 1,326, or 76.7%). The C2 also saw a fair amount of action (279 laps, 21.04%), while the C1 was only run by Lando Norris (McLaren) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) for a combined 30 laps (2.26%). These same three compounds will be available for the Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for April 11-13.

The competitive order looked tight—much like the second half of last season—with six different teams filling the top six spots on the timing sheets. Norris ended up as the fastest driver of the day, clocking a 1:30.430 on fresh C3 tires—nearly nine-tenths quicker than Max Verstappen’s best time from last year’s opening test (1:31.344). The reigning four-time world champion finished third with a 1:30.674, behind George Russell, who put Mercedes second on the board with a 1:30.587.

Former teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five—Leclerc placed fourth with a 1:30.878 for Ferrari, while Sainz, now driving for Williams, slotted into fifth with a 1:30.995. Gasly completed the top six with a 1:31.353.

In terms of mileage, Esteban Ocon (Haas) logged the most laps with 88, while Alpine’s Jack Doohan completed the longest stint of the day—24 laps on a set of C2s. The longest C3 run belonged to Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) with 23 laps, while Norris covered the most ground on the C1 with 17 laps.

The session ran an hour longer than planned due to a power outage that left the entire circuit without electricity for nearly 60 minutes. Once power was restored, the FIA, F1, and the teams agreed to extend the session, with the checkered flag finally falling at 8:00 PM local time.

DAY 2/3

“History repeats itself,” Karl Marx once wrote in The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. We can skip the second half of that quote, but it’s true that news—especially in sports—often follows familiar patterns. That was the case at the end of the second day of Formula 1 testing at Sakhir, where Carlos Sainz topped the timesheets—just as he did on Day 2 last year. The key difference? In 2024, he did it for Ferrari. This year, he was behind the wheel of a Williams.

Sainz set the day’s fastest lap with a 1:29.348 on C3 tires, clocked on his 63rd lap out of 127. That time was 573 thousandths of a second quicker than his best from a year ago. His testing duties were done after today, with teammate Alex Albon set to drive for the full final day.

Right behind Sainz were the two Ferrari drivers, who split time in the SF-25. Lewis Hamilton edged out Charles Leclerc by just 52 thousandths of a second—posting a 1:29.379, while Leclerc managed a 1:29.431. Both set their best times on C3 tires.

Once again, temperatures were unusually cool, fluctuating between 13°C and 18°C, and for an extra twist, rain made a rare appearance in Bahrain. That kept 18 of the 20 drivers in their garages for a while—Max Verstappen and Alex Albon didn’t drive at all. The only exception was Esteban Ocon, who briefly took his Haas out on a set of Intermediates, marking the first time that tire had been used in Sakhir since Daniel Ricciardo ran them during testing with Red Bull in April 2017. In the end, Ocon only completed three practice starts.

When it came to tire usage, the C3 was still the most popular, but not as dominant as on Day 1. It accounted for 767 laps—60.97% of the total 1,258. Two new compounds made their first appearance of the season: Intermediates and the C4, with the latter only seeing 30 laps split between Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber), Sainz, and Leclerc. The other compounds used were the C2 (238 laps, 18.92%) and the C1 (210 laps, 16.69%). Compared to yesterday, the three hardest compounds were used in a more balanced way, mainly due to race simulations and longer runs from nearly all drivers.

Sainz logged the most laps (127), while the longest stint of the day belonged to Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, who completed 25 consecutive laps on a set of C1s.

DAY 3/3

That’s a wrap on the only official test session before the 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off. Over three busy days, all 20 race drivers hit the track, racking up 25 hours of running and 3,896 laps—covering a combined 21,090,564 kilometers.

George Russell topped the timesheets on the final day with a 1:29.545, edging out Max Verstappen by just 21 thousandths on the same C3 tires. Alex Albon rounded out the top three, setting a 1:29.650 on C4s. Notably, the top eight drivers came from eight different teams, showing just how competitive things are shaping up. Behind the leading trio were Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls), and Esteban Ocon (Haas).

Despite Russell’s best time of the day, the fastest lap of testing belonged to Carlos Sainz, who clocked a 1:29.348 on Day 2 for Williams—mirroring his feat from last year when he set the quickest time for Ferrari. The test saw three different drivers from three different teams lead the standings each day, with Lando Norris topping the first session.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola, summed up the test as “unusual” due to the uncharacteristically low temperatures and strong winds that made data collection tricky. The C3 tire saw the most use, followed by the C2 and C1, while the C4 had limited laps and the softer compounds (C5 and C6) never made an appearance. Teams didn’t do many flat-out performance runs, making it harder to gauge the exact gap between compounds, but degradation remained low due to the cooler conditions.

With pre-season testing wrapped up, Pirelli will stay in Bahrain for two more days (March 2-3) to develop its 2026 tires. Alpine and Williams will handle the running, with Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa driving for the French team, while Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz continue testing for Williams.

Now, all eyes turn to Melbourne for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix, where Pirelli will bring the same compound selections as last year—C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), and C5 (Soft).

Excerpts of this article and photography provided by Pirelli S.p.A.