Ferrari struggles with Lewis Hamilton unable to find balance. In Formula 1, with all due respect to Dino Beganovic, all eyes were on the British driver. It is the fourth round of the season, and Formula 1 arrives in the scorching heat of Bahrain with some early truths already apparent after three races: the Italian side is a disappointment, and in Sakhir it must reverse course to give some meaning to a 2025 that has started terribly, much worse than expected.
The Maranello team will use the day to test the new floor: Lewis Hamilton is the first to try it during the first free practice session, also being the only full-time driver on track with the SF-25 in the first session, as Dino Beganovic, a young Swede, is driving Charles Leclerc’s car. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is optimistic about the effectiveness of the new floor, convinced that it can solve the main problems of the 2025 car.
Halfway through FP1, Dino Beganovic also fitted the new floor, running with an SF-25 in the same specification as Lewis Hamilton’s. Clearly, Ferrari needed a comparative test with both drivers, even though a rookie was part of the line-up for the first session. In this evening’s free practice session, more data will definitely be collected in “race-like” conditions, also with Charles Leclerc’s help.
Introducing it in Bahrain, where teams have a solid data base thanks to pre-season testing, represents a significant advantage for analysis. According to the Briton, the update will finally give Ferrari drivers a more stable and predictable car, bringing performance closer to McLaren. The simulator work, including by Antonio Giovinazzi, will be crucial to getting the most out of the new components.
Though he’s not expecting an immediate miracle, Lewis Hamilton believes the gap to the MCL39 will shrink significantly starting in Sakhir. The new floor could mark a turning point, similar to what was seen in 2024 after the Monza upgrade, which brought Ferrari back into the fight at the top. The team is calm: in the second session, full data can be gathered with both full-time drivers to thoroughly evaluate the new spec’s potential.
The first session saw many rookies on track. In addition to Dino Beganovic, five other non-regular drivers took part in FP1: Iwasa in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, forming an unusual all-Japanese pairing; Browning in Sainz’s Williams; Vesti in Russell’s Mercedes; Hirakawa, who moved from Alpine to Haas this week, drove Bearman’s VF-25; and Drugovich drove Alonso’s Aston Martin.
Track conditions were terrible: all drivers struggled to keep the cars tidy. The extreme heat, in stark contrast to what was seen in testing just under two months ago, clearly made it difficult for teams to pick the right initial setup. Nothing irreversible, of course, especially since FP2 will be the truly important session, taking place at sunset like qualifying and the race.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s weekend didn’t get off to the best start: the young driver from Italy was forced to return to the pits after just a few laps due to an engine issue in his Mercedes. Probably a water leak—nothing major on the surface—but it hampered the 18-year-old’s work to the point that he missed the entire FP1. A real stroke of bad luck for one of the stars of the first three races this season, always in the points with convincing performances.
Other than that, the session showed Lando Norris as the fastest, finishing in 1.33.2024. He was followed by Gasly in the Alpine, and then Lewis Hamilton, half a second off the McLaren driver’s time. Albon placed fourth, narrowly avoiding an incident with Browning. Fifth was Ocon, followed by Hulkenberg, Doohan, Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Oscar Piastri. Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic placed fourteenth. A session with lap times that were hardly indicative, as widely expected.
It must be said and emphasized that the track conditions were far from good. However, the Ferrari SF-25 did not perform well. Too many continuous corrections forced Lewis Hamilton into extra steering work. The lack of rotation remains, both entry and exit, and is mainly due to the absence of grip.
The Italian team has nevertheless gathered as much data as possible to understand how the car behaved with the new floor, which, in the hopes of the historic team, should lead to a significant improvement. It seems wiser to wait for FP2. During testing with a full fuel load, there was noticeable tire degradation, and this will be one of the key issues to focus on carefully throughout the weekend. The track should be more rubbered in during the second free practice session in Bahrain. Additionally, the temperature will drop. Charles Leclerc will also be on track to provide all necessary feedback to the team.
— see video above —
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