After three days of testing, the teams are heading back home before the opening race in Australia in a few weeks.
However, the big question is: what did we learn from these three days, which seemed to have more drama off the track than on it? We had rain in Bahrain, broken glass falling onto the track, power failures on day one, and even a red flag for a bus that wandered onto the track during an open session—none of these surprises were likely on anyone’s pre-season testing bingo card. With all this in mind, here are my top takeaways from the 2025 pre-season testing:
Mclaren
The standout takeaway is that the current Constructors’ Champions, McLaren, with their heavily revised car, appear to be the team to beat at the start of 2025. While I don’t think the performance gap is as large as some have suggested, I am confident that the Woking-based team will hit the ground running based on what I saw during pre-season testing with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Furthermore, comments from CEO Zak Brown indicate that the Papaya Army is gearing up for a strong season. Although Carlos Sainz’s Williams topped the timing charts on the final day, an aborted flying lap from McLaren driver Oscar Piastri—who was poised to take the top spot before backing out at the last corner—shows there is much more to come from the team. Day 2 revealed some rear instability issues for the car, but the onboard footage suggested that Lando Norris, in particular, could have extracted even more performance by braking later and turning in earlier. Overall, I am convinced that it will be a serious contender once the car is dialed in.
Red Bull
A significant question mark remains over the RB21, and the team has not provided much clarity on whether the issues with the RB20 have been resolved. Testing primarily focused on various setups, and the use of flow vis paint on the side pods highlighted ongoing understeer issues, which were still evident on the track. While a late lap from four-time and current World Champion Max Verstappen moved the car up the time sheets, the comments from Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache, who admitted, “It was not as smooth a test as we expected,” will be concerning for Red Bull fans. However, with Max in the driver’s seat, anything is still possible.
Mercedes
Mercedes is another team whose performance remains uncertain, particularly given the testing environment. The team has certainly made progress with the W16, having set the fastest lap on Day 3 with George Russell. However, their long-run pace was the least impressive among the top teams, and given the cold temperatures during testing, it remains to be seen if the issues Mercedes faced with higher track temperatures last season have been addressed. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin reported that the testing went smoothly and expressed the team’s satisfaction with their efforts, stating, “The team has worked hard over the winter to improve on the weaknesses of the W15, and from the initial signs, we seem to have made good strides in those areas with our 2025 challenger.” Additionally, new rookie Kimi Antonelli looked confident during testing, yet it still feels as though the team is limping toward the new 2026 regulations, aiming to finish on the podium and secure the occasional win while looking forward to the future.
Ferrari
The buzz around Ferrari is immense; the arrival of seven-time invigorated champion Lewis Hamilton, coupled with the team’s late performance last season, has got the paddock talking about a return to winning ways for the Prancing Horses. Lewis seems to be in his best place since 2021, excited about the season, and while not setting the world alight in terms of lap times, he appeared more at ease than he has in the current set of regulations. Charles Leclerc looked assured once more, able to potentially push more than Lewis, who is still adapting to the team. However, with Lewis missing the final few on-track hours of last season due to the team citing issues they found in the telemetry as the reason for the early finish, the unofficial line from the fans is that the team is hiding their pace instead
Williams
Carlos Sainz at the top of the timesheets overall in a Williams is not something that could have been expected before the test got underway, but that’s exactly what has happened. Now, is this just a case of glory runs from the team with the expectation that they will drop back when the action starts? Team principal James Vowles has openly said that 2025 is more of a write-off for the team, as they continue to focus on 2026. This serves as a warning shot that it may be a little early to think this sleeping giant has woken up; although the giant is certainly stirring, perhaps a midfield challenge might not be too much of a fairy tale to ask for the team from Grove.
The rest
This brings us to the rest of the grid and the teams. Aston Martin have made strides to return to the competitive pack, but it seems that, based on this evidence, it may not be enough to bring them back to the podiums of 2023. However, with Adrian Newey starting work in Silverstone, albeit with a 2026 focus, there are hopes he can steer the team in the right direction for 2025 and help them move back up. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls may resemble a Red Bull team with their Honda-inspired livery, but it appears the sister team is still struggling to get to grips with the parts they share with Red Bull and is having difficulty maximizing their setup. Alpine seem to have placed a major focus on evolution rather than revolution, with the car showcasing much of the late 2024 design that helped elevate them in the championship. Meanwhile, Haas has shown they will continue to be a midfield challenger with the best preparation they have ever had for a new season under their belt. This leaves Sauber, who appear to be off the pace as they were last year, and despite a new partnership, it seems it may be a long season for the team with little to suggest they will demonstrate much competitive racing before Audi arrive in 2026.
As always, though, this is testing, and we have not witnessed the full capabilities of the cars yet, so a significant pinch of salt is needed alongside this analysis. Nevertheless, I will be here to bring you all the latest from the F1 paddock on https://coffeecornermotorsport.com/ and, of course, on @coffeecornermotorsport across all the social channels.