Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut was one of the biggest stories of the 2025 pre-season. He had already driven older cars during private tests in Fiorano and Barcelona last month but finally got his hands on this year’s challenger on Wednesday at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Hamilton put in 70 laps on day one of pre-season testing, giving his team much needed data to prepare for the season ahead. However, he didn’t seem to be one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
Yes, pre-season results should be taken with a pinch of salt. All drivers are on different programs and teams often sandbag (hide their true performance potential) but even F1 journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm noticed something was off.
“It’s not looking easy for Hamilton to get the front in here,” he began.
️ @SMitchellF1: ‘It’s not looking easy for Hamilton to get the front in here. Some laps are better than others but the entries that seen more attacking are ending with a missed apex – he’s just backed off after a particularly wide run through.’ pic.twitter.com/mb4Ij9TgDU
— The Race (@wearetherace) February 26, 2025
“Some laps are better than others but the entries that seen more attacking are ending with a missed apex – he’s just backed off after a particularly wide run through,” he added on X (formerly Twitter).
On the timing sheets, Hamilton finished the day in 13th—not the best look purely in terms of numbers. However, he seemed happy with his first day of pre-season testing, flashing a big smile for the cameras.
Lewis Hamilton smiling after his testing session with Ferrari ‼️ (via @ScuderiaFerrari) pic.twitter.com/RKGe6PI5Du
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) February 26, 2025
It was only the first day of pre-season, and Hamilton and Ferrari still have time to fine-tune things before the real action begins on March 14 with the Australian GP weekend. However, a hint of concern may linger, as his teammate Charles Leclerc had a considerably better outing.
Leclerc’s strong start
While Hamilton had a tough outing in the SF-25 on Wednesday, he could take solace in the car’s pace, as Leclerc topped the early afternoon session and ended the first day of testing with the fourth-fastest time.
The Monegasque, now in his eighth season with Scuderia Ferrari, has a solid understanding of how things work. Having worked closely with the engineers last year, he likely has a better grasp of how to extract the most from the SF-25.
Leclerc finished P4 in the final standings on the first day in Sakhir—not the best result, but certainly better than Hamilton. That said, it’s very likely the two were running different programs.
Lando Norris topped the timesheets, finishing 0.157 seconds ahead of George Russell in second. The Mercedes driver was a tenth quicker than reigning champion Max Verstappen. Plenty of questions remain to be answered on Thursday and Friday.
