Take a look at the leaderboard and, at first glance, you may well assume not much has changed.
At the end of nine hours of track time on day one of testing in Bahrain, one more hour than planned, McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the timesheet, picking up from where he left off with his win at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in December, which secured the papaya’s first constructors’ title since 1998.
But beyond the standings which should, anyhow, be taken with a pinch of salt, there was plenty happening both at the Sakhir circuit and in the boardroom as the start of the 2025 season nears.
A power cut suspended proceedings for one hour. It rained in the usually bone-dry Bahrain. Then an unprecedented rule change was announced. Oh, and we also had Lewis Hamilton driving a Ferrari car for the first time in front of TV cameras aplenty.
After day one of testing, we evaluate a busy few hours:
McLaren keep grip of P1
It was a strange day, actually, for the constructors’ champions.
Oscar Piastri struggled in the morning session, with a few slides in sector one, and by the end of the day he’d set only the 17th-fastest time.
F1 TESTING - DAY ONE LEADERBOARD
1. Lando Norris - 1:30:430
2. George Russell - 1:30:587
3. Max Verstappen - 1:30:674
4. Charles Leclerc - 1:30:878
5. Carlos Sainz - 1:30:955
6. Pierre Gasly - 1:31:353
7. Kimi Antonelli - 1:31:428
8. Liam Lawson - 1:31:560
9. Alex Albon - 1:31:573
10. Yuki Tsunoda - 1:31:610
And when the power cut came halfway through the afternoon session, Norris had barely set 10 laps. In fact, it was over an hour until the British driver was on track at all, as McLaren engineers made modifications to the MCL39.
But no bother. No cause for panic. By the end, Norris was top of the timesheet with a time 0.154 seconds quicker than Mercedes’s George Russell in second.
Their day concluded with a dozen-plus human wall blocking a view of the car’s front wing with a heap of green flow-vis paint on it, much to the amusement of one persistent photographer.
UK conditions… in Bahrain?
Bahrain has been picked as the venue for pre-season testing in the last five years in part due to the weather. Compared to previous host Barcelona, the warmer temperatures more accurately reflect the conditions throughout the season.
Not on Wednesday though. Haas rookie Ollie Bearman made a point of stating how cold he was out on track in the morning, while light spots of rain fell following the power cut.
Heavier rain is forecast on Friday, which could scupper run plans for a number of teams.
Dark and dreary
It was odd when Aston Martin’s garage, at first, saw a power outage. But when it spread across the Sakhir circuit, it was an issue which forced a red flag and a one-hour stoppage on Wednesday afternoon. Ferrari mechanics even used torches to take a look at Charles Leclerc’s car in the garage.
A statement from the Bahrain International Circuit detailed: “At approximately 5pm today, a power outage caused by an external substation failure led to the afternoon session on track to be paused.
“Power has since been restored and the afternoon session has resumed.”Power cuts, rule changes and Hamilton in red: Day one of F1 in 2025 did not disappoint
The session resumed, with the lost hour added to the end.
Lewis Hamilton in Scuderia colours
All eyes were on Hamilton and his garage as he took to the track bright and early this morning, on a morning when the British driver was reunited with personal trainer Angela Cullen, herself sporting Ferrari kit.
Overall on day one for Lewis? Steady and solid.
A few slides off-track in the SF-25 but nothing to be concerned about. He completed 61 laps – well over the general target of a race distance – setting a quickest time of 1:31:834, which placed him 13th in the overall standings by the end of the day.
That being said, his time was nearly a second off teammate Charles Leclerc.
Monaco rule change
And to finish off the day, the FIA announced that plans to introduce a mandatory two-stop race for May’s Monaco Grand Prix had been approved by the world motorsport council.
The initial reaction? Not overly positive.
Ex-F1 racer Jolyon Palmer described it as a “gimmick” while former F1 strategist Bernie Collins picked apart the rule change on live commentary at testing in impressive style.
Plenty of food for thought for the decision-makers at the governing body and within Formula 1.
