Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso believes that teams in Formula 1 have reached the limit with the current rules whereby they risk encountering drivability issues by chasing downforce gains.

2025 is the final year of the current rules cycle, but teams already had trouble up and down the grid developing cars last year.

One case was Red Bull, which started the year with the strongest package, but in an effort to upgrade its RB20, encountered a world of pain with balance issues.

Aston Martin was another team that struggled massively with development in 2024, having started the season clipping at the heels of the top teams.

But an upgrade delivered at Imola hampered the AMR24 with drivability issues and sent Aston Martin tumbling down a season-long road of development issues and performance concerns.

Alonso admits that trying to add further downforce measures on this year’s AMR25 runs the risk of drivability issues, but hints to the fact Aston Martin has the tools in place to implement upgrades successfully.

“I think we arrived at a point in the development of the car that is quite tricky to add downforce without adding some difficulty on driving the car,” the Spaniard told select media including Motorsport Week. 

“But we are quite okay with the correlation and things.”

No doubt Aston Martin will benefit from its new state-of-the-art wind tunnel that will help combat correlation issues down the road.

Adrian Newey explains limitations of current F1 rules

F1’s present ground effect era differs from the technical revolution imposed on the sport in the late 1970s and early 80s, whereby skirts effectively sealed the underside of the car to create the desired negative pressure to add downforce.

Before starting life at Aston Martin as Managing Technical Partner, Adrian Newey explained to Auto Motor und Sport why the current ground effect rules have limitations.

The legendary designer said “It’s in the nature of things. A ground-effect car without side-sealing skirts like in the 80s will always be prone to instability. 

“You’re looking for more and more vacuum under the car, but you’re always struggling with leakage from the side,” he added.

“This generates downforce losses here and there, which are all the greater the lower your car sits.”

Aston Martin making progress after dismal 2024

Aston Martin’s development headaches in 2024 led to a series of painful lessons from race to race as the Silverstone-based outfit gained more and more data on what wasn’t working.

After two days of pre-season testing, Alonso acknowledged that those lessons are starting to pay dividends as the Spaniard noted improvement on the AMR25.

“I think we have some positives in the car,” he said.

“We’re not going into the details but obviously the data and the correlation seems good and there is a step forward compared to last year’s car.

“And there are some negatives as well, like probably all the things that we need to fix and get better for Australia for later in the season. 

“So, we are relatively happy knowing that it’s extremely tight in the midfield and we will have to do perfect weekends if we want to score points. 

“But this maybe was not a surprise and we will try to get better throughout the season.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘aligned’ on how to avoid ‘painful’ 2026 F1 campaign

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Alex Albon believes that the 2025 Williams Formula 1 challenger has addressed the team’s prolonged weakness of wind sensitivity.

Wind sensitivity has haunted Williams for several years with its cars susceptible to changes in wind direction and spontaneous gusts.

F1’s pre-season testing venue, the Bahrain International Circuit, was the perfect venue to gauge whether the FW47 has improved in this area as the Sakhir venue is well-known for its windy climate.

Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week on the second day of the test, Albon was asked to make an early comparison between this year’s car and the FW46 of 2023.

“If you look back on last year, the first days to now, well, we’ve done two shakedowns so far,” Albon began.

“We did one in Silverstone, we did one here early in the week. 

“For the most part, the car feels a bit better in the wind, I would say. I think that’s the initial feeling.

“There is a bit of a through corner balance difference, but when I think about last year, we were struggling a lot in the wind. 

“It was an area that we’ve tried to focus on this year. 

Let’s see. For now, obviously, it’s a good place to test this kind of thing and it’s been holding on pretty well. 

“So yeah, there’s some good signs to it.”

Williams is in a much better position than 2024 – Albon

A concept shift and a radical production process overhaul at Williams ahead of the 2024 season delayed the arrival of the FW46, which began last season overweight.

Shedding weight amid a season littered with big crashes stunted Williams’ progress and the team ultimately slid to ninth in the Constructors’ standings.

However, F1 testing proved Williams is right in the mix for 2025 with midfield rivals Alpine and Haas citing the Grove-based squad as a contender.

Albon, too, believes the team is in a stronger position compared to 12 months ago.

“I think we know the areas we need to work on,” he said.

“I think there’s just some new things, new software, new areas to focus on, which has changed a little bit the balance of the car. 

“I think, just as a general feeling, the car’s in a much better position than last year.

“There are some areas where we’re just getting caught out on, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.”

Having a strong base is key for Williams given the majority of its development focus will be on the 2026 rule changes, with Team Principal James Vowles’ long-term vision for the squad overriding present results.

Williams ended pre-season testing with the fastest time of the three-day event courtesy of Carlos Sainz, with Albon setting the third-fastest time on the final day.

READ MORE – Alex Albon: Williams FW47 car to receive limited updates amid 2026 F1 focus

The post Alex Albon reveals key weakness Williams has addressed with 2025 F1 car appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu isn’t concerned by rookie Oliver Bearman’s limited qualifying prep during Formula 1 pre-season testing thanks to the prowess he showed in 2024.

Bearman is one of five classified rookies heading into 2025 but the 19-year-old Briton already has three GP starts under his belt.

In 2024, Bearman raced for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia as Carlos Sainz underwent treatment for appendicitis and deputised for Kevin Magnussen at Haas in Baku and Interlagos.

Those three qualifying sessions showed Komatsu all he needed in terms of Bearman’s qualifying readiness, which is why he isn’t worried that Haas’ typical testing programme focussed almost entirely on high fuel, long mileage stints.

“You saw him in qualifying last year,” Komatsu told select media including Motorsport Week. 

“I don’t think he did badly. Back then he out-qualified Nico [Hulkenberg]. 

“Interlagos, Sprint weekend, FP1, then qualifying, he out-qualified Nico as well. 

I don’t treat him as a rookie in that sense.”

True enough, when Bearman jumped into the Ferrari SF-24 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit last year, he narrowly missed out on making Q3 after just an hour of practice to get up to speed.

In Baku, Bearman qualified 11th again, this time for Haas and two places ahead of the highly-regarded one lap specialist Hulkenberg and he was able to thwart the experienced German again over a single lap in Brazil.

Bearman ‘impatient’ to unlock Haas’ one-lap potential

Bearman admitted during testing amid his programme of high-fuel running that he is getting “impatient” with regards to unlocking Haas’ one-lap potential in Melbourne.

“I’m a little impatient and want to go for it as soon as possible but I understand that this running is very important and you know this kind of strategy of using all of these laps and doing as many laps as we can really worked for the team last year and I hope it does the same again,” he said. 

“Yeah as the run goes down and we always put a new set [of tyres] on I’m really excited to see what the car can do.”

Why Haas doesn’t focus on low-fuel testing miles

Haas’ tactic of high fuel, high mileage during testing is a tactic that paid dividends before.

As Bearman said, in 2024 it helped Haas develop a car adept at tyre management, something its 2023 predecessor was catastrophically bad at.

Continuing with that methodology in this year’s pre-season testing, Komatsu explained its advantages.

“We just focused on getting answers that you cannot get during a race weekend,” he said.

“[On] race weekend you never have two sets of the same tyre compound. 

“You do low, low, high, then low, low, high, then low, low, then qualifying.

“It’s almost impossible to get answers on some test items that have a certain influence on tyre degradation and high fuel management. 

“That’s what we focused on.”

READ MORE – Why Haas isn’t treating Oliver Bearman like a ‘normal rookie’ in F1 2025

The post Why Haas isn’t concerned by Oliver Bearman’s limited qualifying runs in F1 testing appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alpine boss Oliver Oakes has targeted heading Formula 1’s midfield battle and “clipping at the heels” of the established top teams during the 2025 season.

That was the Anglo-French marque’s target at the start of 2024, but those hopes were quickly dashed during pre-season testing and the season opener as Alpine was comfortably at the back of the field this time last year.

Oakes, who became Team Principal in August, oversaw a late surge by Alpine, bolstered by upgrades and a surprise double podium in Brazil that saw the team finish sixth in the Constructors’ standings.

Through the final races of 2024, Pierre Gasly was a consistent top-10 threat in qualifying and race conditions and Oakes wants to pick up from where the team left off.

In response to McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella theorising more teams outside of his outfit, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull could challenge, Oakes was asked if Alpine could be one of those in the mix.

“I’m trying to think what I say, because otherwise you sound like you’re not positive,” Oakes told select media including Motorsport Week.

“But I think, if I’m honest, I think always you can see those front teams that are a step ahead. 

“I think our target is to continue where we ended up at the end of last year, which is we kind of want to be clipping at the heels of those teams.

“That’s not to say we’re defeatist, but we’re also quite humbled that it’s bloody close as well.”

Winning F1 midfield battle a measure of success for Alpine

The F1 midfield battle is poised to be tighter than ever in 2025.

Alpine won out against Haas and Racing Bulls for sixth in the Constructors’ standings last year, with Aston Martin’s stronger start keeping it out of reach in fifth.

Aston Martin’s slump and Williams’ strong showing in testing show that four or five teams could be scrapping over fifth in the championship this time around.

Measuring success at this stage is hard, but when asked, Oakes said he wants Alpine to kick on from its strong finish last year and continue to be at the midfield’s forefront.

“I think continuing the second part of last year and I say that a little bit hesitantly, because I think it’s so competitive in that midfield,” Oakes said of his season target.

“And I think the whole grid bunching up, I think the swing of circuits as well. 

“Obviously, I didn’t do the first part of last year, so going back to some of those tracks where I haven’t been and haven’t seen how the team performed firsthand. 

“But I think we feel confident where we ended last year, we want to start this year on that same footing.

“And I think hopefully after these test days, we’re looking in good shape.”

READ MORE – Alpine insists it has been ‘honest’ about F1 driver plans amid Jack Doohan rumours

The post Alpine wants to ‘clip at the heels’ of leading F1 teams in 2025 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes the team’s prowess during Formula 1 testing validates its progress after previous struggles in Bahrain.

McLaren emerged as the favourite after three days of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit last week.

A series of impressive race simulations by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri demonstrated that McLaren will be the team to beat next week at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

This comes 12 months on from McLaren starting the 2024 F1 season as the fourth fastest team in Bahrain, at a track that doesn’t typically serve the Woking-based outfit well.

Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week during testing, Stella revealed how the team’s strength in testing at a previously unfavourable Bahrain circuit showed McLaren has made progress with its MCL39, but added some caveats.

“Bahrain [was] one of the tracks in which we have struggled to perform in previous years,” he said. 

“Looking at the track layout, looking at some kind of demand associated with the low grip, for instance, and the [track surface] roughness, big demand on traction, we have a justification as to why our car wasn’t necessarily working very well at this circuit. 

“We have worked over the last couple of years to try and improve on those requirements that are needed in circuits of this kind where you have tight corners, for example, and we think we have made some progress. 

“We are trying, obviously, at the same time, to retain some of the strengths that we have developed over the years, for instance, in some medium-speed corners.”

Cool F1 Testing temperatures an important factor to consider

Norris’ head-turning race simulation came on Day 2 of the three-day test where temperatures at the Bahrain circuit were considerably cooler than expected.

Stella’s conversation with written media came that very evening and he stressed that the conditions could have flattered McLaren somewhat.

“This year the car seems to have adapted to the Bahrain requirements a bit better than in previous years, but like I say, the conditions are so unique that they may be masking some of the traditional issues that we may be having and certainly are making, for instance, traction requirements, stability much easier because the lap times are incredibly fast,” he explained. 

“I think we are seeing the good side of what the operating conditions can be for a Formula 1 car. 

“I think once we come here for the race it will be more difficult, more difficult for everyone and certainly more difficult for us.”

Bahrain representative of McLaren improvement

Uncharacteristically cool temperatures aside, Stella didn’t shy away from the fact that the tight corners of Bahrain, traditionally not the strong suit of McLaren’s admittedly capable F1 machines of late, are a good metric for progress.

Whereas high-speed corners in Australia and Suzuka, two circuits F1 will visit in the first months of the 2025 season, will play to McLaren’s inherent strengths, strong pace at Bahrain is an encouraging sign for the team.

“I think in terms of where, as McLaren, we needed to improve, I think this circuit is representative,” Stella said. 

“I think if we go to Melbourne, if we go to Suzuka, there’s a larger number of corners that may adapt to some of the strengths of our car. 

“But here, there’s not many of them. 

“So it’s a circuit that we definitely take as a challenge, but also as a useful, interesting reference to see whether we’ve been able to make progress. 

“And even last year at this circuit, we were the fourth best team in 2024.”

READ MORE – How Lando Norris warned F1 rivals about ominous McLaren pace before testing

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Isack Hadjar is one of five rookies on the Formula 1 grid and Motorsport Week sat down with the young Racing Bulls star during his first pre-season test on the Grand Prix scene.

Hadjar was the last addition to the 2025 F1 grid, the final piece in the Red Bull F1 puzzle that was re-jigged following the dismissal of Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson graduating to the senior team.

Perhaps, the French-Algerian graduates to F1 with the lowest profile among the five rookies. Lawson is barely a rookie, well established thanks to his two stints at the Faenza-based Racing Bulls outfit in 2023 and ‘24. Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli was touted all year-long as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement until that was made official during the Italian Grand Prix and Haas’ Oliver Bearman burst onto the F1 scene with that remarkable one-off race for Ferrari in Jeddah last March. Even Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto comes into F1 with the pedigree of reigning Formula 2 champion, a crown that cruelly slipped through Hadjar’s fingertips.

Being part of the large rookie crowd “highlights the fact that our generation is really strong,” Hadjar believes. “And we are skilled. And I’m happy to race guys I’ve raced in the past. I know how they behave, how they race. So it makes it easier.”

Hadjar has had limited simulator and testing compared to the likes of Alpine’s Jack Doohan, another of F1’s five rookies, but he certainly made up for last time during F1’s three-day pre-season test, clocking a total of 243 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, second only to Haas’ Esteban Ocon. He’s also had a taste of the limelight through F1 75, creating a viral moment and a host of comedic social clips with new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

F1 75: Hadjar’s viral reaction to the Racing Bulls livery

Those latterly mentioned media commitments are the biggest change for Hadjar, a graduate of the Red Bull junior programme who has eight race victories in three seasons across F2 and Formula 3. But as anyone who follows Racing Bulls on social media will know, Hadjar has become somewhat of a lip syncing expert when filming content with Tsunoda.

“When it’s not stepping on my, let’s say, it’s not impeding me to do what I want to do, I’m happy with that,” he says of his media commitments. “Otherwise, it’s a bit tough.”

So far, the biggest impression Hadjar has made off-track was at the F1 75 launch event at London’s O2 Arena. There, he and Tsunoda pulled the covers off of the VCARB02 to reveal a stunning white and blue Red Bull livery that shocked the watching world and Hadjar himself. His look of shock quickly became a viral sensation across F1 digital media and Hadjar admits that moment was all a genuine response.

“I saw the car on my phone, but I’d never seen the livery,” he said. “Even at the factory, the car was naked, so I couldn’t tell how it was looking properly on a real car. And looking at it, I was like, it’s f***ing cool. Of course. Yuki, he started it, [the now famous photo]. He posted it, posted my face like this. And yeah, it was not on purpose. It was a really genuine reaction, so it’s good.”

First impressions of F1

That viral moment for many would have been their first introduction to Hadjar as he becomes one of the 20 global F1 superstars. For the young man himself, however, the most important aspect is being behind the wheel of an F1 car. A handful of FP1 sessions and post-season test aside, his F1 running has been limited. When Motorsport Week spoke to Hadjar in Bahrain, he’d had one four-hour session of running in the VCARB02 in Sakhir and his initial impressions were succinct, and to the point.

“It’s f***ing fast,” he said. “At the moment, that’s all I can give you as a feedback. I don’t have much experience in F1. I don’t know what’s a mega car. If it should be like a McLaren, I don’t know how it’s supposed to behave. I don’t have an idea. So for me, this is fast.”

Hadjar’s test went as well as can be expected for a rookie with limited F1 experience. His aforementioned lap-count will no doubt pay dividends as he continues to adapt and his pace was comparable to Tsunoda’s on the first two days. Hadjar said he feels comfortable in an F1 cockpit.

“Even looking at my session [on Wednesday], I felt comfy with everything,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s the first day. I’m adapting really fast and ready to keep going.”

Moreover, in response to whether he’s a fast learner, the self-assured Hadjar said “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Measuring up against Yuki Tsunoda

Learning will be key for Hadjar’s progression and he has Tsunoda on the other side of the Racing Bulls garage to help guide him. Tsunoda is now a Faenza expert who lives in Italy to keep his bond with the team strong, one that is entering its fifth year. 

Hadjar recalls meeting Tsunoda for the first time at Suzuka, when the Japanese ace was still in F3 and from that point on, witnessing his fellow Red Bull junior take the same path he has just traversed. 

“Obviously, being in the junior team, you see him stepping up to F1 and basically followed everything he did,” Hadjar said of his team-mate. “So I always rated him and now to be his team mate is good. He’s a really good guy as well. Now we get along fine.”

Getting along is one thing but Hadjar knows that measuring up strongly and beating Tsunoda is the only real metric at which success can be measured in 2025.

“He’s the only one having the same car as me,” he said. “So at the end of the campaign, he’s the only one I can compare to and it’s no surprise that I want to be faster. But you have to be realistic as well. Starting the season, I have no experience at all. So I would have to keep my head down and just learn from him.”

That learning curve means traversing the globe on a 24-race calendar where Hadjar will experience circuits for the first time in an F1 car or altogether. Looking ahead, he revealed which venues he’s looking forward to most.

“Japan, in an F1 car. Brazil as well. They are the two tracks I really want to experience. And Monaco in an F1, I think is ridiculous.”

Hadjar is confident in his own abilities and ready to challenge on motorsport’s biggest stage. Short and to the point with his remarks, his focus is on the track and while he might have flown under the radar as the final piece of the 2025 F1 grid puzzle, he’s not there to make up the numbers by any stretch.

READ MORE – Racing Bulls had ‘easy’ choice promoting Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar to F1

The post Isack Hadjar Exclusive: F1 is ‘f***ing fast’ but I’m a fast learner appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alpine and Williams remained in Bahrain following the conclusion of Formula 1 pre-season testing to complete a two-day 2026 Pirelli tyre test.

Using specially modified 2023 F1 cars to mimic the 2026 regulations, the A523 and FW45 for Alpine and Williams respectively, the two teams tested the new construction of tyre.

On Sunday, Williams fielded Carlos Sainz and Alpine fielded its reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, the duo tested the 2026 18-inch tyres which are 25mm narrower at the front and 30mm at the rear.

Sainz and Hirawaka tested the same compounds throughout their running but with tyres made up of various different constructions, completing 116 and 131 laps respectively.

Sainz’s fastest time was a 1:34.740 while Hirakwa posted a 1:35.336.

On Monday, Alex Albon and Paul Aron took over the driving duties for Williams and Alpine respectively and instead of testing varying constructions, the duo instead ran one construction but three different compounds, C1 through C3.

Aron covered 130 laps, the fastest in 1:35.407s.

Albon, meanwhile, completed 120 laps with a best time of 1:35.667s.

The next Pirelli 2026 tyre test will be carried out by Mercedes at Silverstone on May 7-8 to test intermediated and extreme wet tyres.

Pirelli hails ‘significant’ data gathering in Bahrain

“Another very useful day for the development of the 2026 tyres,” commented Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Director of Motorsport. 

“Almost 2,700 kilometres completed, we have been able to gather a significant amount of data to take forward in our programme. 

“I would like to really thank the drivers and teams who extended their stay at the Bahrain track by a further three days at what is such a busy time, with less than two weeks to go to the first race. 

“In Sakhir we continued with a comparison of different types of construction and compound, the latter at the hardest end of the range, to suit the characteristics of this track. 

“Now, our colleagues in R&D will analyse the information carefully and provide useful indications so that we can continue to improve the product for the next generation of cars.”

READ MORE – Ferrari set for 2026 F1 tyre test with modified mule machine

The post Alpine and Williams conduct 2026 F1 Pirelli tyre test in Bahrain appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Alpine boss Oliver Oakes was quizzed on the surprise Formula 1 paddock return of Dmitry Mazepin during pre-season testing amid the Russian’s former links to the Hitech junior outfit.

Mazepin famously sponsored the Haas F1 team in 2021 through his company Uralkali and the Russian billionaire’s backing helped install his son Niita into a race seat.

However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haas parted company with the Mazepins with immediate effect and Uralkali’s owner remains under EU sanctions.

That doesn’t stop the Russian oligarch from visiting the F1 paddock with the correct credentials, but curiously nobody in Bahrain was able to account for how Mazepin gained entry into the paddock.

Mazepin made visits to Mercedes and Alpine but no F1 team had any knowledge of who handed the Russian a pass into the paddock, with a source relaying to ESPN: “Dmitry was on a personal visit. He has remained friends with many people in the Formula 1 family and was happy to see them in Bahrain.”

One of the people Mazepin bumped into in the F1 pre-season testing paddock was Oakes.

Mazepin was a major backer of Oakes’ Hitech outfit pre-EU sanctions and his son raced for the junior team.

Speculation suggests that Renault CEO Luca de Meo wants to offload his Alpine F1 team to interested parties and that advisor Flavio Briatore’s job is to facilitate a sale.

Alpine Team Principal Oakes was quizzed on the curious nature of Mazepin’s paddock visit.

“Yes. I’ve said hello to him, I haven’t met him,” he told select media including Motorsport Week.

“Yes, he’s a friend of mine, yes I used to be together with him in Hitech. 

“He was here catching up with another friend of his. 

“It’s nice to see him. I’m not going to go into that, the world’s a crazy place”.

Alpine is not for sale

Time and again, de Meo, Briatore and Oakes have had to refute the notion that the Alpine F1 team could be up for sale.

Fuelling that speculation was the team’s decision to scrap its works engine development in Viry-Chatillon in favour of becoming a Mercedes power unit customer from 2026 onwards.

Slicing the Viry element out of the Anglo-French equation makes a sale of the team simpler, but the line from members of the team is that it isn’t going to be happening.

Speaking at last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Oakes said “I know everybody likes to write that [de Meo] wants to sell the team, which isn’t true. 

“He’s always been very firm that he’s in F1 for the long term.

“You can see really how passionate he is about this project. I’m grateful to have him.”

Briatore has been even more adamant that Alpine isn’t for sale.

Speaking to Autosport last year, Briatore said “No, there is nothing for sale.

“Everything, we buy. If we had the opportunity, we [would] buy another one team and I put a managing director in.

“Something is very clear. Luca de Meo never wants to sell the team. Question finito.”

The post Alpine boss quizzed on Dmitry Mazepin F1 paddock sighting amid Hitech connection appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has explained why it’s “not acceptable” to scrap 2025 Formula 1 development in favour of an early start on next year’s rules cycle, akin to a tactic the outfit employed in 2021.

In 2021, the last year of the previous regulation cycle, Komatsu and then-Team Principal Guenther Steiner agreed that the limited financial resource available at the time wasn’t worth pouring into its current generation of car.

Amid a period of stagnation for Haas, whereby it had only scored three points the year before, the team didn’t develop its 2021 car whatsoever and instead focused solely on its first-gen ground effect car for 2022.

The decision paid off and Haas went from scoring no points and finishing last in 2021, to scoring 37 and finishing seventh a year later.

Next year’s rule changes are seismic, with broad revisions coming to the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic regulations, but Haas is in a different place than it was four years ago having narrowly missed out on sixth in the Constructors’ standings in 2024.

So, even if Haas found itself a second off the pace come Melbourne in just under two week’s time, Komatsu ruled out scrapping developing the VF-25.

“That’d be pretty sudden, before going to race one,” he said. 

“But the thing is, we can’t do that anyway.

“For us, if we are in that position, we’ve got to develop better out of this car to try to catch up. 

“We’re not in a position where we can just give up on ‘25.”

Financial incentive behind Haas’ development push

Not only is Haas in a stronger position heading into 2025 than it was four years ago from a technical point of view, the team is also in a stronger position financially thanks to its title partnership with MoneyGram.

Moreover, the team’s recent technical alliance with Toyota shows Haas is an outfit on the up and Komatsu revealed that the cost of finishing last in 2025 isn’t worth any potential gains that could be gleaned from focusing on next year’s rule changes more severely.

“If we finish last this year, obviously the amount of money we lose, that’s not acceptable,” he said.

“It is very simple,” Komatsu added, acknowledging that as the season progresses, “We have a few different scenarios depending on where we are, which I agree with the owner.”

Given that wind tunnel time for 2026 development has been permitted since the start of the new year, Haas, of course, has begun developing its car for next year, but it’s a balancing gap currently tipping in the VF-25’s favour.

When it comes to what percentage of development time is currently focused on next year, Komatsu said “it’s a bit difficult to say. Obviously we started, but percentage is a bit difficult to say. 

“At the moment, maybe the simplest thing to say is we’re still focused on 25. 

“Of course we are doing 26, but the major focus is still on 25.”

READ MORE – Williams wary of Haas sandbagging during F1 2025 pre-season testing

The post Why Haas won’t resort to making F1 development sacrifice in 2025 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Lewis Hamilton has pointed to McLaren’s and Red Bull’s strong pace during pre-season testing that could present a challenge as he bids for a record eighth Formula 1 Drivers’ title.

Hamilton has already made his intentions at Ferrari clear, to end the Scuderia’s protracted title drought that on the Constructors’ side draws back to 2008 and in the Drivers’ a year more.

The seven-time champion is committed to his new team so much so that he’s placing greater emphasis on clinching Ferrari a title than success taking him to a record-breaking eighth.

This week’s three-day test at the Bahrain International Circuit allowed Hamilton to gauge Ferrari’s potential and that of the team’s rivals.

A day after going second fastest in Thursday’s running, where reigning Constructors’ champion McLaren showcased some impressive long-run pace, Hamilton addressed his rivals’ form.

“Obviously it’s a lot hotter today but McLaren did a great job yesterday,” Hamilton told select media including Motorsport Week on Friday. 

“I think also Max [Verstappen] did a decent run today. 

“It’s hard to know what fuel loads everyone is running. “We’re all doing our own programmes, so we have to take everything with a pinch of salt.

“[McLaren] being the Constructors’ champions last year, we expect them to be one of the quickest, if not the quickest. 

“As with Red Bull, who have dominated for many, many years. 

“So, for us, we’re just trying to improve. I haven’t done the [race simulation] run yet, I’m about to do it this afternoon, and it will give a bit of a better understanding of how this car behaves in a race stint.

“It’s going to be my first race stint with the team. I’ve only done short [runs], about 10 laps, so it’ll be interesting. We’ve definitely got some work to do to improve.”

Hamilton’s long-run stint on the C3 compound tyre wasn’t as fast as the likes of Mercedes, McLaren or his team-mate Charles Leclerc in Friday and his race simulation was cut short due to a technical anomaly. 

However, on short runs Hamilton grew in confidence throughout the three-day test so he and Ferrari have the ingredients to improve in order to challenge at the front.

Assessing the intra-team threat

Before Hamilton can worry about beating the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and his former employer Mercedes, he has to do what every F1 driver’s first port of call is: beating his team-mate.

Leclerc is a formidable opponent on the other side of the Ferrari garage, one who is truly embedded in the heart of the Scuderia since his 2019 debut with the team and academy days prior.

2024 was one of Leclerc’s most impressive campaigns, where he was able to showcase impeccable race management through his three GP victories at Monaco, Monza and The Circuit of the Americas.

His qualifying speed goes without saying and Hamilton has hailed Leclerc as “massively talented.”

“I mean, Charles is massively talented and getting to see him work opposite the table and watching him in the garage is, it’s been really, really great to, you know, obviously he’s been here for a long time, so he knows the team well, he speaks Italian, he’s at home and at ease,” Hamilton said (via F1).

“But because we already had a friendship before, I think that’s made it a lot easier to just get straight in the room and work together, and he’s incredibly talented, so he’s going to be so fast this year, I’m looking forward to learning what I can from him and supporting him alongside the team to deliver the best results we can get.”

READ MORE – Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton claims he could race in F1 ‘until I’m 50’

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