What to Know Before the Winter Testing in Bahrain

Sakhir will only serve as the venue for the three days of testing, from Wednesday, February 26 to Friday, February 28, before heading to Australia for the first race at the Albert Park circuit, on March 16.

The main objective of the test days is to collect essential data for the start of the season, as no other testing is allowed during the season. The teams aim to ensure in Bahrain that their cars are reliable and perform adequately for the competition.

But they do not want to lay all their cards on the table just yet. Because if one team is clearly the fastest, competitors will try to copy certain elements. This could happen later in the season, but the longer a team can maintain this advantage, the better.

When examining the fastest test times since 2012 compared to pole position times on the same circuits, it is noted that in just five instances out of thirteen, the team that recorded the best time during testing also clinched the pole position in qualifying.

In some cases, such as in 2012, 2014, 2020, and 2021, there were only minor differences between the practice times and the pole times. In other years, like 2018 and 2022, the gaps were significantly larger. It is striking to note that Mercedes secured pole position between 2016 and 2019, while Ferrari posted the fastest times during practice.

This could indicate a well-known phenomenon: sandbagging. For example, teams hide their true performance by driving with reduced engine power.

What do the individual times of the drivers say?

A clear trend emerges in hindsight: **since 2012, only twice has the fastest driver during testing days also won the title at the end of the season.**

In both situations, the driver involved was Max Verstappen for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Only three times has the fastest driver in winter testing subsequently achieved pole position on the same circuit, including twice by Nico Rosberg (in 2013 and 2015).

Things to Monitor During Testing

Red Bulls and Mercedes should test their cars on Wednesday. In this regard, George Russell stated: « In 5 laps, you know if you’re ready for a good season or not.»

The way Lewis Hamilton is doing at Ferrari after driving 3 different cars during private tests at Fiorano is quite good, and the British driver is confident. He has a lot of admiration for Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, who won quickly after joining the Scuderia. Charles and Lewis won’t have comparable times, as they will be driving at different times of the day.

Carlos Sainz has also changed teams and explains that adapting to a new car does not happen in just a few days: It will take about 6 months to get used to a new car.

This will also be the first public work for Liam Lawson who has Max Verstappen, the champion, as a teammate. His very short experience means he can only improve if Red Bull gives him time. With these tests, we’ll see what level he starts with and the benefits the testing will bring.

The majority of teams are focusing on 2026 and the new regulations, which means that many cars are very similar to last year, particularly for Sauber, Alpine, Williams, and Haas.

The tests will determine if the aggressive methods have been removed. McLaren and the anti-dive device that prevents the car from excessively tilting down and forward during braking, complicating perception for the drivers. Bahrain with its slow corners will allow us to see if it works. Same for Ferrari, which will have to adjust the configurations of its new front suspensions.

A team struggling during tests, like Williams in 2019, slow, overweight with a considerable delay and non-compliant, is possible. But today, with the gaps being very small, struggling can happen quickly, like Alpine last year with an overweight car and a total misunderstanding, or Williams with a lack of preparation.

For Racing Bulls, it will be the moment to determine the team’s prospects and how well this car can compete with the top 5. Whether moving the headquarters has benefited the team to draw inspiration from its big sister, Red Bull.

For the rookies, it will be a fairly limited exercise, but everyone is already prepared. This moment will be an opportunity to assess who seems most comfortable with the transition to F1, and if there are any difficulties, they will need to be addressed quickly.

Results to be taken with a grain of salt

Several factors can influence the tests. The ranking is then absolutely not objective.

Test programs: each team has its own priorities. For example, in 2024, Haas focused on long-distance racing to optimize tire wear, while other teams directed their efforts towards reducing drag or improving reliability.

Quantity of fuel: only the teams themselves know how much fuel they consume, making it difficult to assess real performance.

Tire Choice: Pirelli brings all possible compounds for the test days, allowing teams to choose the number of sets they desire. This could mean the softest, hardest, and everything in between. This also implies that teams have the opportunity to test with tires that are not used during competitive weekends.

Although the more durable C1, C2, and C3 tires are commonly used during the Bahrain Grand Prix, teams also have the option to use softer tires such as the C4 and C5 during testing. Carlos Sainz set the fastest time in 2024 with the C4 tire. Sergio Perez was also in this range in 2023, while Max Verstappen used the even softer C5 in 2022.

Moments of the day: In Bahrain, track temperatures can vary considerably depending on the time of day. In the evening, it is cooler and there is more grip, leading to faster lap times.

In the end, a simple quick lap doesn’t make the difference. The key is to be able to maintain that pace, in other words, to be consistent. The Haas VF-23 was strong over a single lap, however, the tires degraded quickly during the race. Max Verstappen demonstrated remarkable consistency with little lap time loss over multiple laps during the 2024 tests, a sign often more reliable of a successful season.

Test times provide an initial glimpse, but they should not be overstated and must be interpreted in the appropriate context. More important than knowing who can achieve a fast lap with the softest tire at the best time of day is a car’s performance in the long term and whether it remains competitive throughout the season.