It's F1 test week! What do you want to know?
Added 2025-02-24 08:40:20 +0000 UTCScott Mitchell-Malm, Jon Noble, Edd Straw and Samarth Kanal are on their way to Bahrain for 2025 Formula 1 pre-season testing (and Mark Hughes is getting prepared in his 'long-run analysis bunker' too).
As Scott says in the above video, let us know what you want to learn from testing this week in the comments on this post and we'll try to provide as many answers as we can for you across our coverage in The Race Members' Club and on The Race this week.
Comments
Thanks so much for all the questions - Scott, Jon and Edd have answered a few while stuck in traffic today so we'll post that recording for you all later on once they've made it back from their car!
Matt
2025-02-25 12:39:13 +0000 UTCAny evidence that teams like red bull, ferrari, aston have improved the aeroelasticity of their wings?
Kenny Stoltz
2025-02-25 08:20:16 +0000 UTCHow much do teams vary their set up to see how it works in a high/low/medium downforce set up given testing is all at one circuit? I.e would they put a Monza-style low downforce/drag set up on it and see how it performs in sector 3, and separately have a more high downforce set up on and just look at the data from the slower corners?
Richard Snape
2025-02-25 08:06:36 +0000 UTCI too would love to know this, please. Thanks, Vin!
Lane
2025-02-25 01:34:13 +0000 UTCIf you speak with any of the drivers after a session, are you able to get a feel from their body language or initial responses, as to their impression for the year? Wondering from the aspect of how some drivers say they know within a few laps if they are in for good, or bad, year…while also saying it’s too early to tell! And bonus question: which liveries look better in person and on track, when compared to their renders, or vice versa. For example, I recall the initial Aston Martin british racing green colour coming off as too dark on broadcast screens, which sometimes looked like the Mercedes’ black livery. Wondering if the teams pass the in person vs on screen test, or if some accidental “catfishing” is afoot!
J Nguyen
2025-02-24 21:07:36 +0000 UTCWhy are teams not allowed to run both cars at pre season testing? Surely it wouldn't be that much more expensive, as a lot of freight and personnel are travelling to Bahrain anyway? And I suppose most teams should have two cars build up by now?
Jan Alexander
2025-02-24 19:23:09 +0000 UTCWell I can’t speak for the Alpine duo but I’ve long since had a ‘no point trying to cover up the hairline’ policy and have just decided to go more aggressive with it this year 😂
Scott Mitchell-Malm
2025-02-24 18:01:44 +0000 UTCDo teams use anything other than photos and speed traces to start analyzing their competitors, such as audio analysis of engine notes or computer vision analysis of chassis movement? Or is everyone mostly focused on themselves at the start?
Vin Narayan
2025-02-24 16:56:56 +0000 UTCIt seems like all the teams have been talking up their chances this year, and we haven't heard any statements like last year's from Ayao Komatsu all but declaring the 2024 Haas to be in the worst position. When the results from testing are gathered and analysed, how will teams who fall short of the mark adapt for the season ahead? Is there a chance that teams who seriously underperform at testing will have to change tack and deprioritise their 2025 result for more focus on 2026?
Noel George
2025-02-24 16:36:58 +0000 UTCHi Scott & crew! I know each team will run one car and have specific test plans. But what types of activities are in a test plan? Also, how to make comparisons between the cars since we don’t know the plans they are running? Basically, how might we discern if a car is any good? Thanks!
Pamela Rudolph
2025-02-24 15:50:32 +0000 UTCDoes the old theory that we won't know anything until Q1 on the first race weekend still hold, or with more data/coverge can you really can make a case that we know that bit more than in previous years?
Steve D
2025-02-24 15:30:30 +0000 UTCI'd like to know whether you can tell which packages look likely to be suited to a variety of tracks from testing, rather than just who looks quickest round a lap of Bahrain. With a close field expected, who is likely to be good everywhere and who may just be good on certain tracks, and could Bahrian be an outlier for anyone in particular?
James Nicholson
2025-02-24 13:57:58 +0000 UTC1: What is the best series of corners in Bahrain to compare with Australia’s track characteristics in order to see what cars will be best suited for the season opener? 2: Why are so many in F1 trying to achieve aerodynamic efficiency with their hair styles? First the alpine duo and now Scott! What’s going on? 😉
Hatman
2025-02-24 12:49:35 +0000 UTCWhat are the teams favourite memories of previous tests? Thanks
Gavin Cameron @ the_loft_workshop
2025-02-24 12:03:19 +0000 UTCHow confident can the teams really be in their design philosophy before their cars are driven out onto the Bahrain track? And do Drivers really know after just 5 laps (as suggested by Russell) how good their cars will be?
Michael Holden
2025-02-24 10:56:43 +0000 UTCI’m really interested to see how Lewis adapts to the Ferrari, and how well it suits his style of driving
Tamara Salter
2025-02-24 10:19:10 +0000 UTCI'd really like to know what's up the tailpipe of Lewis's Ferrari, so if one of you guys could get your arm up there and snap a pic that'd be great.
Zach Buchowski
2025-02-24 09:12:16 +0000 UTCWhy do teams always seemingly sit around for a while before going out?
Jake
2025-02-24 09:06:29 +0000 UTCFor pronounciation: Aesch=Ash as in ash tree Bacher=rhymes to Schuhmacher
Daniel Aeschbacher
2025-02-24 08:58:32 +0000 UTCTrackside teams have seemingly enjoyed a nice and extensive break. Do you know of any specific „warm-up routine“ they‘re doing during or right before pre-season testing to get their operations sharp again or do they keep exercising so to speak during winter break?
Daniel Aeschbacher
2025-02-24 08:56:59 +0000 UTCIf you can't rely on laptimes, how do you get a handle on deciding the order? As there is little video produced from the tests and I struggle to tell how a car behaves from trackside, I always rely on trusted news sources.
Simon Emms
2025-02-24 08:49:00 +0000 UTCDoes a works team for example Mercedes know what engine mode its customers are using? Then use this information to give some comparison on performance? Do teams always use the same base fuel load year on year? Could Lewis Hamilton say to Ferrari this is what Mercedes used and use this to give some comparisons?
Alex Hindley
2025-02-24 08:44:56 +0000 UTC
