McLaren hit ground running
Constructors’ champions last season, McLaren finished strongly and the winter has been productive. The MCL39 appears to have a genuine edge on a competitive field. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were circumspect about their car and it did demonstrate a spot of instability in the rear but their confidence on track has been palpable. They look to have taken the stable platform of last season and improved it with the long-run race simulations presenting a fearsome pace, even given all the usual caveats of fuel loads, temperatures and card-holding in testing. When off the leash for a burst of potentially qualifying pace it was impressive on the brief occasions McLaren opted to show their hand, Norris aborting one flying lap that would have set tongues wagging. That early show of pace has not gone unnoticed by the other teams, with Lewis Hamilton among others acknowledging that McLaren are set to be sharp from the off – the start Norris has long craved for a tilt at the title.
Related: Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton tells critics they give him ‘fuel’ to work even harder
Hamilton at home at Ferrari
Hamilton has dismissed criticism from “older, white men” – Eddie Jordan and Bernie Ecclestone – who had questioned his move to Ferrari and certainly he has displayed nothing but enthusiasm and confidence in his new challenge. He has been effervescent in his approach to testing, a task he dislikes, throwing himself into it as he tries to make the most of every possible moment in a steep learning curve at the Scuderia. Intriguingly he seems to be making as fresh a start as he can, referring to his former team Mercedes as “the previous place” and “another place”. It’s a new journey for the 40-year-old Briton but one he insists has gone smoothly. “It’s felt seamless, easy in a sense of gelling with the team,” he said. “It’s not felt that we’ve had to force it and I feel at home.” He is then in a good place, his motivation is stronger than ever, even lightheartedly addressing one key detail with his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami. “Is hammer time still going to be hammer time? I haven’t spoken to my engineer about that,” he said. “I don’t know how it would sound with an Italian accent. So I have to find an Italian word. We’ll probably find something new.”
Convergence at the front
Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have unsurprisingly remained tightly matched on their pre-season runs, with McLaren possibly having an edge. Mercedes may have taken their time to get to this point after three unpredictable seasons but it appears they have found consistency. The W16 looks well balanced and George Russell pronounced in Bahrain that it is the best Mercedes he has driven. Ferrari, too, are thereabouts. Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and the team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, are guarded but pleased. The SF-25 has been impressive, looking strong on corner turn-in, and the car has improved each day. More is likely to come given that Leclerc considered that it had given them no surprises and was ready to be exploited. Ferrari may yet still be a dark – prancing – horse at the front. Red Bull, meanwhile, had the task of addressing the issues that had plagued it in the second half of last season, a lack of balance leading to a testing, unpredictable ride that Max Verstappen decried as a “monster”. Interestingly, the RB21 is strikingly similar to last year’s model but the team insist a raft of aero developments have been made and their motorsport consultant, Helmut Marko, was convinced the issues had been solved. That said, the test did not go entirely smoothly and Red Bull were putting in a lot of time experimenting and adapting setups, suggesting they are still not quite where they want to be.
Williams on the turn
Having struggled so hard of late and with 2026 targeted to reap the rewards of their rebuilding process, Williams might just be ahead of schedule and, whisper it, perhaps even with a nose in front of RB, Haas, Aston Martin and Alpine, with Sauber set to be very much in a field of one at the back. After finishing ninth last season, the early signs are that Williams may be a real player in the midfield. The Mercedes rear suspension has been integrated well, the car looks very planted on track, with the team able to find a better balance as testing progressed. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were both quick and complimentary about their new ride. Indeed, Sainz set the fastest time of all the three days with a 1min 29.348sec lap, only a couple of tenths off the pole time from last year. The FW47 was consistent on long runs, with Sainz banging out 127 laps on Thursday and Albon 137 and the third-fastest time on Friday while, observed from trackside, it was at ease both in and out of the corners, an indicator of a robust race car. While a little unruly on the absolute limit, this is potentially the best car Williams have produced in years and for the teams in its proximity a real cause of concern. An enticing prospect not least with both Albon and Sainz being feisty competitors.
