Following a thrilling 2024 season, Formula 1 teams will return in action for the annual preseason test in Bahrain from 26th -28th February. Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren are among the top teams vying for glory early this season and key decisions dictating how they perform will have been taken. However, there is still a lot of work needed to get the cars ready to compete and all the teams are hard at work to ensure they put their best foot forward early in the 2025 F1 season.
Leading drivers will be getting ready to get accustomed to their new cars, with Lewis Hamilton set to debut for Ferrari and Carlos Sainz driver for Williams. Rookies Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Kimi Antonelli will also be recording their first championship laps and getting acquainted with the demands of Formula 1 cars. Here are the top three teams to watch along with early predictions ahead of the 2025 F1 preseason test.
McLaren
McLaren needs to keep doing what they did at the end of the 2024 season, built on a clear understanding of what ground-effect cars require to race quickly. That will make them early favorites for the 2025 F1 title race, although they still need to improve in slow corners. Their drivers need to be careful to ensure that slow corners don’t affect their high-speed stability and their management style will also be a crucial factor.
As boss Andrea Stella pointed out, McLaren can’t slip up now that it is atop Formula 1. The top four race is so tight that even a minor mistake can see a driver move from first to third or fourth in the pecking order. However, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are among the most evenly matched pairs this season as they are both fast and constantly improving.
Ferrari
Led by Fred Vasseur, Ferrari significantly improved in 2024 and they are expected to start their preseason campaign strongly in 2025. The Scuderia started their campaign strongly last season and although it wasn’t enough to secure the Constructor’s Championship, the four pole finishes and five wins prove they have what it takes to get the job done.
With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc operating at his best level, Formula 1 betting analysts believe Ferrari will claim their first Constructors Championship title since 2008. Formula 1 bettors can also bet on Lewis Hamilton winning his eighth world driver’s title through the Caesars Sportsbook using a code on the Sportyrader website to claim up to $250 in the welcome bonus.
Red Bull
Red Bull is still regrouping after a bruising campaign in 2024. Their development stagnated last season, but it would be foolish to write off Red Bull and Max Verstappen from the championship title races. Verstappen will lead Red Bull how he wants along with Liam Lawson and will need to hope he can master the driving style needed to record some big points.
Lawson has some time to prove he’s worthy of the promotion, although that will wear off soon. However, Red Bull is known for expecting early results from their newbies and they expect Lawson to pick up the slack if Verstappen is having a bad day. As such, early Formula 1 predictions suggest that Red Bull will finish the 2025 season second or third in ranking.
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