Bahrain F1 pre-season test: Ferrari chooses softer compounds, McLaren opts for harder ones
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After the winter break, the wait is finally almost over. Starting tomorrow, the Formula 1 teams will return to the track in Sakhir for the only official test session before the start of the 2025 season, which will take place in mid-March in Melbourne.
For the teams, which have already covered their first kilometers during filming days, this will be the only opportunity to properly fine-tune their cars without the usual restrictions present during filming days, where, for example, demo tires are used. Three days of testing, totaling 24 hours on track—from 10 AM to 2 PM and from 3 PM to 7 PM local time—will begin to define the initial competitive balance.
Compared to 2024, there is an important change to keep in mind. While last year’s tires were essentially a continuation of those introduced in mid-2023, allowing teams to already understand some of their characteristics, this season’s tires will be entirely new—not just in terms of compounds but also in their structure, which has been modified to accommodate the increasing loads of the cars.
The test will also serve as an opportunity to see the range of tires that Pirelli has homologated for 2025 in action. All six homologated dry-weather compounds will be available for the Sakhir tests, and they can be identified as seen in the image. The C1 and C2 will have white markings, the C3 and C4 will have yellow markings, while the C5 and the new C6 will have red markings. To further differentiate them within each group, three of these compounds will not have side bands, while the remaining ones will.
After debuting in the 2024 Mexico and Abu Dhabi tests, the new C6 will be available to all teams this year. This is the softest compound of all, intended for use in GPs held on street circuits or tracks that generate low energy loads. Given the characteristics of Bahrain's asphalt, which is very aggressive on tires, it is unlikely to be used in Sakhir, so much so that only two teams have selected it.
As for the other compounds, the C1 remains the hardest, unchanged from 2024, and is still very similar to last year's version, while the C2 has been moved closer to the C3, which is the most versatile in terms of balance. The C4 has been developed to reduce graining, as has the C5.
For the Sakhir event, each team was allowed to choose up to 35 sets of tires, of which 30 will actually be mounted on rims for use on track. However, within those 35 sets, teams could freely allocate their selection, and an analysis of their choices reveals some interesting insights.
Historically, Bahrain is a very demanding circuit for tires due to its aggressive asphalt, to the point that the three hardest compounds are traditionally selected for the Grand Prix. However, the Sakhir tests also serve as preparation for the championship, which is why the C3, the most “intermediate” compound in the range and the one most likely to be used throughout the season, will also be the most utilized.
Mercedes is the team that has chosen the most C3 sets, with 27, while Williams sits at the opposite extreme with only 15 sets of this compound. These two teams switch places when it comes to the C2: Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon’s team has chosen 12 sets, focusing on the harder tires, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will have only two.
Speaking of Mercedes, along with Ferrari, it is the top team that has favored the softer compounds the most. The Maranello squad will use only three sets of C1 and, notably, just four sets of C2, instead prioritizing the C3. Interestingly, Ferrari has also chosen to bring five sets of C4 and, along with Williams, is the only team to have selected one set each of C5 and C6. This allocation suggests that Ferrari aims to better understand how to manage the warm-up phase of the softer compounds in qualifying conditions, an area where the SF-24 had shown weaknesses.
The situation is completely different for McLaren and Red Bull, which have opted to focus on the harder compounds. McLaren will bring five sets of C1—fewer only than Aston Martin and Alpine—along with nine sets of C2. Red Bull, on the other hand, has made a slightly different selection, with only two sets of C1 but as many as 11 sets of C2. It is likely that some of these sets will be used for typical aerodynamic data-gathering tests.
It is also interesting to note the choices of Aston Martin and Alpine, which have focused entirely on the hardest compounds, to the point of not bringing a single set of C4. Last year, the AMR24 often struggled with tire degradation, so it can be assumed that Aston Martin will conduct repeated medium-length stints during these tests to assess tire behavior under different setup conditions.
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