Sainz on top again, Hamilton low on mileage: Key figures from pre-season testing

For the second year in a row, Carlos Sainz Jnr set the quickest lap time of any driver in pre-season testing.

He’s changed teams since then, so the bragging rights for fastest overall time go to Williams. But as we all know, headline testing times don’t reveal who is fast and who isn’t. For the same reason, constructors’ champions McLaren are unlikely to be alarmed they only set the fifth-fastest time.

Three days of running in Bahrain have yielded some noteworthy data, however.

2025 pre-season lap times

The most striking feature of the teams’ lap times this year is how close they are. This appears to support the view that the field would continue to tighten up in the fourth year under largely unchanged technical regulations.

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2025 pre-season lap times compared to last year’s test and grand prix

Three teams stand out when comparing their lap times from this week to the test and grand prix at the same track last year.

Williams and Alpine are the only teams whose lap times this week were quicker than they managed in the Bahrain test and race last year. That’s a good indication of real progress, some of which was visible during the course of last season.

Both these teams have indicated the opportunity offered by next year’s rules change is a particular priority for them. They appear to have begun this year with cars closely based on those they had at the end of last season. They should therefore be able to exploit their available performance more easily, which may be reflected in the times, but it remains to be seen what development potential they will have over the year ahead.

Sauber’s times also stand out for two reasons. They are the only team who lapped slower this week than they did in both the grand prix and the test last year, which is a discouraging sign. This was memorably the case for Ferrari in pre-season testing five years ago, and that team went on to endure a tough season.

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2025 pre-season mileages compared to last year’s test

Despite several bizarre interruptions – including a power cut, a smashed pane of glass and a wayward bus – the 10-team field got more testing done than last year. Together they racked up 3,896 – almost 200 more than in 2024.

However there was a significant gap between those who did the most and the least. Mercedes, the busiest team of all, covered 50% more running than rivals Red Bull. That 833-kilometre difference is the same as more than two grands prix.

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Drivers summaries

The timings of the various disruptions affected some drivers more than others. Esteban Ocon was the busiest driver in Bahrain, covering 260 laps, over four-and-a-half grand prix distances.

Any driver like Ocon who was adjusting to new teams would have welcomed that kind of mileage. Lewis Hamilton, however, did almost 100 fewer laps in his Ferrari, after his final day in the car came to an early end due to an apparent technical problem.

The only drivers who covered fewer laps than he did were the Red Bull pair and Lance Stroll. The latter had to sit out most of the final day as he was unwell.

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Formula 1

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• Red Bull haven’t made as much progress as expected, admits Wache
• Russell pips Verstappen to fastest time of final day of testing
• Pictures: 2025 F1 pre-season testing day three: Bahrain
• Hamilton says Ferrari’s car gives him “the most positive feeling in a long time”

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