Respected Sky F1 correspondent Craig Slater has suggested that Mercedes were the second-fastest team at the Bahrain International Circuit during pre-season testing, based on “GPS data”. This insight emerges after three days of intense testing at the venue.
Mercedes’ Bahrain Testing Performance Hints at Potential
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Predicting team performance from testing times is always challenging. Ahead of the F1 2025 season opener in Melbourne in two weeks, there’s considerable debate about the pecking order. Carlos Sainz of Williams set the fastest overall time of 1:29.348 during testing, but a race simulation by Lando Norris in the McLaren MCL39 on Day 2 has led many to believe he is the early title favourite.
Data analysis from PlanetF1.com expert Pablo Hidalgo indicates McLaren as the leading team based on race simulation data. Uncertainty remains regarding the positions of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull relative to each other. It’s widely suspected that Red Bull was not revealing their full potential in Bahrain.
However, Slater’s analysis of independent data offers a positive perspective for Mercedes.
“An individual I’ve spoken to with access to GPS data have Mercedes second quickest here,” Slater reported.
“That’s interesting because I’m not sure Mercedes have been that self-confident during this test. They have a very young driver [Kimi Antonelli] and George Russell leading their campaign this year.”
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The Bahrain conditions introduced further complexity in determining the true F1 2025 grid order. Day 2 saw significantly cooler temperatures than typically experienced in Bahrain. Rain also disrupted the morning session and returned with less intensity in the afternoon.
On Day 2, a potential concern regarding the W16 was raised by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. He noted a lack of expected competitiveness in the cooler conditions, which had previously suited their W15 car last season.
Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, in Bahrain, Wolff expressed his worry: “I’m a bit worried at the moment because that should be conditions where we should be two seconds quicker than everybody else, which was the only highlight last year in terms of performance in Las Vegas, and we are not.”
“So either we’ve remedied the problem and we are more balanced through all the climate conditions, or not.”
The F1 2025 season will commence with the Australian Grand Prix. This race will provide the first real indication of the ten teams’ competitive order at the start of the 24-round season.
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