SAKHIR, Bahrain — During the initial preseason testing session in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton clocked the fifth-fastest time while driving for Ferrari, an opportunity that arose following his transition from Mercedes. The surprise leader was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian newcomer, who set the quickest lap among the ten drivers participating in Wednesday’s morning session and impressively completed a shared highest total of 78 laps. Even after a spin, Liam Lawson was just .132 seconds behind Antonelli’s pace.
Hamilton, trailing by .406 seconds, accomplished an impressive 70 laps in the newly developed Ferrari SF-25. It’s important to note that the times posted in testing don’t always reveal a driver or car’s maximum capabilities due to varying strategies employed by teams.
The British driver, now 40, made the switch to Ferrari this season after a prolific 12-year stint at Mercedes, where he amassed six of his seven world championships. As Hamilton drove the iconic red Ferrari, car No. 44, at the Bahrain circuit, Formula 1’s social media channels celebrated with a post declaring, “Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari driver” capped with a heart emoji.
Having joined Ferrari last month, Hamilton is set to compete in the 2025 season alongside Charles Leclerc, who has been a fixture for Ferrari since 2019. During the morning’s proceedings, Hamilton was accompanied by Liam Lawson, scheduled to team with champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull this season, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin, a two-time champion.
An unforeseen power outage caused the suspension of the afternoon session, affecting operations within the pit garages.
This year’s preseason testing may offer fewer insights into actual race performance due to two primary factors. The weather in Bahrain on Wednesday was atypically windy and cool, a stark contrast to usual F1 race weekends. Additionally, unlike last year, Bahrain will not host the season’s opening race. Instead, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne takes that honor on March 16.
