With Bahrain's pre-season testing now complete, Formula 1 insiders unanimously point to McLaren as the frontrunners for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix.
Italian journalist Leo Turrini expressed mild dismay. "I'll be honest, friends," he wrote in his blog. "The new Ferrari did not live up to expectations. (Charles) Leclerc said so explicitly." He noted Lewis Hamilton's tempered reaction: "(Lewis) Hamilton was more cautious, but he was not beaming with enthusiasm either. McLaren is ahead for now. (Max) Verstappen, perhaps, too."
Mercedes' George Russell posted the fastest time on the final day, yet Toto Wolff remained reserved. "We are not the favourites," he told Bild newspaper.
Red Bull, initially optimistic about their 2025 car, faced obvious hurdles as the team concluded its test by trying additional new parts.
"The test did not go as smoothly as we expected," technical boss Pierre Waché admitted to Canal Plus last Friday.
Waché acknowledged McLaren's prowess: "I find the McLaren very interesting, such as the front suspension. But we also think it is very risky. It will be exciting to see whether they can pull it off."
He identified "four teams" looking "pretty fast" but conceded Red Bull's progress lagged. "I'm not quite as happy as I could be because the car sometimes didn't react as we wanted, but it's going in the right direction," he said. "Just maybe not as much as we expected."
Ralf Schumacher, speaking to Sky Deutschland, was unequivocal: "I think McLaren will be ahead. Ferrari are missing a bit, but they will cope. Mercedes are simply lacking pace."
Williams and Alpine also shone, with Carlos Sainz setting the overall quickest lap of the test on low fuel. Alpine's Flavio Briatore, meanwhile, remarked, "The drivers are not complaining about understeering or oversteering. And if they have nothing to complain about, that's a good sign."
McLaren's Andrea Stella suggested a broader fight is awaiting the team in 2025. "That's what everyone says who feels like they're ahead," Fernando Alonso retorted, casting doubt on the expanded top-tier prediction.
