This week, the 2025 Formula One World Championship kicks off with preseason testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. It marks Kiwi Liam Lawson’s first time behind the wheel of the new RB21. His initial laps take place overnight during the team’s filming day.
Interestingly, these weren’t Lawson’s first laps of the year in a Formula One car. The 23-year-old Kiwi previously tested at the Jerez circuit in Spain earlier this month. He participated in a private test aboard the RB19, the dominant car of the 2023 season.
This week’s test runs from Wednesday to Friday (local time). In total there’s 24 hours of track running expected over the three days, averaging eight hours per day.
All teams will share driving duties between their two drivers. Each team is only permitted to bring one car to the test, necessitating shared track time.
Red Bull Racing has confirmed its driver line-ups for the three days. Lawson’s first session in the RB21 is expected during the Wednesday morning session (Wednesday afternoon NZT). He will then hand over the car to his four-time World Champion teammate, Max Verstappen, for the afternoon session. Lawson then returns for a full day of driving on Thursday. Verstappen will take the reins on the final day to wrap up the test.
While the precise times and running order are largely irrelevant during preseason testing, all eyes will be on the new cars and driver line-ups, especially after such an eventful off-season.
This season sees significant changes in the driver market, with 10 of the 20 entries experiencing changes during the off-eason.
Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari was the biggest news story. Other notable changes include Carlos Sainz Jr.’s transfer to Williams and Lawson’s promotion to the Red Bull team.
Adding to the excitement, five rookies will make their full F1 debuts this season: Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), and Isack Hadjar (Racing Point).
Lawson, with 11 Grand Prix appearances under his belt, occupies a unique position. He is almost a rookie, yet possesses valuable experience from his limited outings in 2023 and 2024.
The Bahrain preseason action kicks off tonight, with Day 1 of testing starting at 8 PM NZT and running until 5 AM tomorrow morning.
To follow the preseason action, you can tune in live on the Formula One app.
Bahrain Preseason Test Schedule (NZT):
Wednesday: 8 pm-5 am
Thursday: 8 pm-5 am
Friday: 8 pm-5 am
