Alpine and Williams showed a significant step forward compared to last season, and they can now fight for points.
Last week, the three-day test took place in Bahrain, with all twenty cars taking to the track at the Sakhir circuit in preparation for the season opener, scheduled in Australia in two weeks. The weather conditions didn’t allow the teams to work in a conventional manner, but the data collected provided a first insight into the improvements (and also the setbacks) compared to last season.
Among the promoted teams, alongside McLaren, we find Alpine and Williams. Let’s start with the French team, which has undergone a major overhaul since Flavio Briatore’s arrival and showed clear improvements compared to last season’s tests. For example, Alpine was able to set a lap time around eight-tenths better than the time they recorded in last year’s Bahrain qualifying.
The positive results shown during this three-day test represent a continuation of the growth that began in the second half of 2024, marked by the double podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix and Pierre Gasly’s consistent points finishes. The A525 also impresses on race pace and strongly positions itself as a potential “best of the rest.”
Among the promoted teams, as mentioned earlier, there’s also Williams, which set the fastest time of the three-day test with Carlos Sainz clocking a lap time of 1:29.348. The British team showed significant improvements in qualifying simulations, with Sainz expressing some enthusiasm after completing the fast lap.
A small uncertainty remains regarding the race pace simulation, where a noticeable gap was observed between the British team and Alpine. It seems that Williams used a more aggressive engine mapping in an effort to extract performance and understand the various limits of the FW46. At this point, the British team appears to be slightly behind Alpine, but with good confidence and a nearly one-second improvement in qualifying compared to the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Photo: X Alpine e Williams
