Carlos Sainz Jr. tops the Formula 1 pre-season testing timing sheets for the second consecutive season.
Sainz topped the Bahrain International Circuit with a lap time of 1:29.921 a year ago, setting the record for fastest time. Before joining Williams for the 2025 season, Sainz banked that lap in his final season with Ferrari.
The Spanish driver, however, dominated the field this year despite the squad change, clocking in at 1:29.348, which was 0.573 seconds quicker than his effort from the previous season. In second and third place behind Sainz? It’s none other than Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari.
“We did some progress compared to yesterday, improving the balance of the car,” said Sainz following his laps on Thursday, his final day in the FW47 this week. “I feel as ready as I can be with a day-and-a-half of testing and we will try and push flat out in Australia.”
Thanks to F1 Tempo, you can view the telemetry data from Sainz’s lap here. As you can see, Sainz built on one lap, pushed on the next, and then cooled down on the third, suggesting that the lap occurred during some qualifying simulations:
Additionally, as usual, pre-season testing results should be interpreted with caution.
Nevertheless, Sainz had an equally outstanding season with Ferrari after his stellar testing performance the previous year. Despite the necessary caution, these Bahraini performances are probably encouraging for those who think Sainz will make it back to the podium in his debut season with Williams.
