Formula 1 2025 Bahrain GP Preview

Let’s be honest – the Japanese GP proved to be a bit of a snoozefest. With track temperatures low, the conditions were horrible for overtaking, and we had 53 laps of exciting moments that were few and far between. However, Bahrain is almost always different. Year in and year out, the Sakhir Grand Prix offers spectacular racing action under the night lights.

Max Verstappen is coming in hot with both McLaren’s ready-to-go toe-to-toe with the 4-time world champion. Ferrari and Mercedes will be looking to surprise their fans while the battle for midfield supremacy is as tight as ever. Let’s look at the preview for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. It’s the 2nd instalment of the season’s first triple-header in Formula 1! 

Bahrain GP 2025 | Schedule

This is the Schedule for the F1 2025 Bahrain GP. All times are UK.

• FP1 – 11.30 am, Friday
• FP2 – 3.00 pm, Friday
• FP3 – 12.30 pm, Saturday
• Qualifying – 4.00 pm, Saturday
• Bahrain Grand Prix – 3.00 pm, Sunday

In the UK, Sky Sports is the official broadcaster of F1, and you can also watch it worldwide via F1TV. 

3 Biggest Storylines Before the Bahrain GP

Can McLaren Finally Understand How to Beat Max With 2 Cars?

McLaren’s recent form has been marked by moments where they have struggled to convert their advantage into victories over Max Verstappen despite having two competitive, objectively fastest cars on the grid. This was also the case in Suzuka, where Lando Norris just couldn’t get within the DRS range of the Red Bull, and the British team failed to initiate a car swap despite Piastri admitting he had more pace.

The most critical moment in the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix happened during the pit stops. Our race leaders, Norris and Verstappen, exited the pits side by side, leading to a tense on-track battle. The FIA deemed the encounter as “hard but fair racing,” with Lando mowing the grass a bit and the Dutchman retaining the race’s lead. 

McLaren had two cars in the hunt for the win but didn’t even try for an undercut or alternative tactics to maybe Pincer Verstappen. This conservative approach has been a recurring theme, with McLaren often opting to follow rather than initiate. It has allowed Max Verstappen to run away with victories in 2024 and now again in 2025.

The team’s reluctance to designate a clear number one driver, even on a race-to-race basis, has led to utter chaos at times (e.g. Hungary 2024). Addressing this and becoming more tactically flexible is paramount if Norris or Piastri wants to challenge the 4-time champ for the Driver’s title. 

Carlos Sainz Continues to Struggle

Even though Alex Albon has become the go-to hero of Williams, when they signed Carlos Sainz Jr., almost every expert in unison agreed that this year, Albon will get outscored by his teammate. 

With that being said, Carlos Sainz’s transition to Williams in 2025 has been challenging, to say the least. 

• Debut at the Australian Grand Prix – DNF due to a crash under safety car conditions on a wet track. 
• He has yet to outqualify his teammate
• He managed a 10th-place finish in the points in China, but that was aided by the disqualifications of 3 drivers ahead of the Spaniard.

The Japanese Grand Prix was no different for the 4-time race winner. Long-time Ferrari driver was fined €20,000 for arriving late to the national anthem ceremony due to a medical issue. Even though the penalty sparked debate, it still was descriptive of his journey with Williams so far. On the track, he qualified poorly and finished the race in 14th. Even though Sainz showed some decent overtakes, the conditions contributed to yet one more underwhelming drive.

Sainz has openly acknowledged the challenges of adapting to the Williams FW47, citing struggles with the car’s performance in longer corners. Despite these setbacks, the Spaniard has kept his head down and shows determination to be much quicker in Bahrain. We know he is quick, but can he show it at Williams?

Can Ferrari Find Podium Pace in Bahrain?

Ferrari had a mixed pre-season testing. Some experts labelled them the 2nd fastest car while others stated that it lacked stability and put it in 4th. The latter seemed to be more on the money, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, arguably the strongest driver pairing, struggling to compete with McLaren’s, Max Verstappen and even Mercedes at times.

Translating decent testing performance into race results has proven challenging. Hamilton expressed concerns about the car’s pace, while the Monegasque remained realistic, stating that 4th in Suzuka was ‘The best they could do’.   

With that in mind, Bahrain is a completely different track with totally different conditions. Such a change of scenery could maybe offer the Scuderia an opportunity to display their best pace. Historically, the team has been successful here, so perhaps one more podium or even a surprise race win like Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint in Shanghai is in the cards.

Bahrain GP | Track & History

Bahrain Track was the venue for pre-season testing in 2025. Although it has hosted the opening race for many years, in 2025, the F1 schedule overwent various schedule adjustments, and the Sakhir track is now 4th on the calendar.

It’s a rear-limited Tilke track with high-speed straights, swooping fast and slow corners, and 3 DRS zones. There’s always plenty of overtaking here, with tyre strategy playing a major role in the final results.

Since the first time F1 raced here in 2004, Bahrain has been very successful for Ferrari, who have the 7 wins, the most in this Gulf country. On the main straight, cars can go as fast as 210 mph with the help of DRS. 

We’ve seen plenty of amazing action unfold in Bahrain. From the horrendous Romain Grosjean crash in 2020 to Max vs Lewis in 2021 and Max vs Charles Leclerc in 2022, the bright lights of Sakhir often delight us with some heart-stopping fighting lap in and lap out.

The track comprises 15 turns—9 right-handers and 6 left-handers. Herman Tilke, the track designer, created it as a challenge for engineers and drivers. Once at the wheel, the athlete needs to be both precise and daring to put the power down as early as possible but avoid the rear giving out due to overheating. One of the most challenging sections is Turn 10, a tight, downhill left-hander that requires meticulous braking. During the latter stages of the race, drivers with older tyres are left vulnerable to those with fresher rubber as degradation “thanks” to the abrasive tarmac is high.

Finally, the weather in Bahrain is almost always hot and sunny, so each of the 20 drivers needs to be in excellent physical condition to go all out for the whole 57 laps. 

Recap of the Last Racing Weekend | Japanese GP

Suzuka was a true Max Verstappen Masterclass. The Red Bull driver managed to keep Lando Norris at arm’s length for the entire race, preventing the McLaren’s Briton from getting into the DRS zone, despite the latter having arguably a much faster car.

A hot topic was McLaren’s race management. Throughout the race, especially towards the end, it seemed like Oscar Piastri was the faster of the two papaya cars. However, McLaren hesitated to swap cars, and Lando Norris wasn’t successful in pursuing the Dutchman.

It was labelled a boring race by fans and drivers. This track is generally a difficult place to overtake, so with the air and track temperatures quite low, there was very little wheel-to-wheel racing for anyone to enjoy. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished 4th, George Russell (Mercedes) was 5th, and Isack Hadjar (RB) crossed the line 8th to score his first points of the season. Ollie Beraman from Haas got into the points as well, finishing 10th. 

Standings Before the Bahrain Grand Prix

Current F1 standings for 2025.

Driver Standings

Constructor Standings

The first triple header of the year is upon us. Bahrain rarely disappoints, so let’s expect a change of action compared to Suzuka. Check out our blog to read every Grand Prix preview and other expert insights into the world of F1. 7bet offers betting markets for Formula 1 and many different motorsports events as well. Check it out if you’re interested!

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