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Hamilton Tops Rain-Hit Bahrain Testing Session with Fastest Lap
Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest lap of 2025 Formula 1 pre-season testing so far, setting the pace on a rain-affected second morning in Bahrain.
Mercedes and McLaren Exchange Early Lead
Testing began under mixed weather conditions, with Lando Norris initially holding the fastest lap from the previous evening. The McLaren driver had set a 1:30.430, which stood as the benchmark heading into Thursday morning. However, as the session unfolded, it was George Russell in the Mercedes who first lowered that time.
Capitalizing on the cooler, damp conditions—similar to where Mercedes had shown strength in 2024—Russell put in a lap of 1:30.379, narrowly edging out Norris. But the lead wouldn’t last long, as his former teammate Hamilton took to the track and shaved further time off, posting a 1:30.287.
Hamilton Raises the Bar on Performance Run
The seven-time world champion wasn’t done yet. Running on the C3 compound—the same soft tire set to be used during the Bahrain Grand Prix in April—Hamilton embarked on a performance run. After setting an initial time, he cooled down for a lap before launching into another quick effort, further improving his best mark to a 1:30.080.
This stood as the fastest lap of the test at that stage, though Williams’ Carlos Sainz came closest to matching it. The Spaniard, who joined Williams for the 2025 season after departing Ferrari, ended the session just 0.07 seconds behind Hamilton before conditions worsened.
Weather Halts Early Running
As intermittent rain showers intensified, teams opted to limit their running, effectively bringing on-track activity to a halt for the first two hours after Sainz’s strong lap. Before the rain hit, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly managed to post the fourth-fastest time, an encouraging result for the French team as they aim for improvements in 2025.
Liam Lawson, standing in for Red Bull as Max Verstappen sat out the session, completed the top five. The New Zealander is scheduled for a full day of testing, giving him crucial track time as he continues his development with the reigning champions.
Nico Hülkenberg secured sixth place for Stake, setting his time on the C4 tires, a step softer than those used by Hamilton and Sainz. He was followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Haas continued its strategy of sending its drivers out with full fuel tanks, a method meant to simulate race conditions. Ocon, in particular, saw significant mileage as he ran with heavy fuel loads to gather long-run data.
Limited Running for Some Drivers
Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda was the last driver to set a lap time during the morning session, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri refrained from completing any timed laps. Instead, McLaren focused on aerodynamic data collection, using aero rakes to gather insights on their new car’s performance.
Before the track became too wet for competitive laps, Russell had managed to complete 28 laps in dry conditions. Ocon later surpassed that total after Haas sent him out on the team’s sole set of intermediate tires.
Teams Manage Wet Tire Allocations Carefully
Haas was one of only two teams to bring wet-weather tires to the test, alongside Aston Martin. While Haas utilized their limited supply of intermediates, Aston Martin had three sets available but opted not to send Alonso out in the worsening conditions.
With rain affecting the session and further showers expected later in the day, teams are balancing their tire usage carefully. Since pre-season testing offers only limited running before the season opener, maximizing track time remains a priority—especially for teams fine-tuning their setups and gathering crucial data ahead of the first race.
As testing progresses, all eyes will be on how teams adapt to the conditions and whether any further improvements to lap times emerge before the session concludes.
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