Formula 1 fans have had their first taste of the new season, with three days of testing in Bahrain now complete.
All 10 teams and 20 drivers have had a chance to learn as much as they can about their challengers for the new season.
Pre-season testing often leaves fans with more questions than answers, but what was observed over the last three days can provide some insight into the upcoming season. Here are five key takeaways from Formula 1's pre-season testing.
Ferrari is all-in for the 2025 world championships
Ferrari is always the talk of the paddock in Formula 1, but even by their standards of interest, this season is different.
With seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton joining the team, partnering with eight-time race winner and 2022 runner-up Charles Leclerc, Ferrari has a truly exemplary driver line-up.
The Scuderia have not won the constructors' championship since 2008, and no Ferrari driver has become world champion since 2007.
In 2025, Ferrari is going all in.
This season is the final under the current F1 regulations. That means teams must find a balance between developing their 2025 cars and looking ahead to their 2026 challengers, which will look very different (more on that further down).
Ferrari appears to have their full focus on this season, attempting to end a championship drought that has lasted nearly a generation.
At the front of the car, Ferrari has elected to use a pull-rod front suspension instead of a push rod, which they had been using for the past few seasons.
This change will most likely be made for aerodynamic reasons.
While on face value, it may not seem major, this is the final year of the current regulations, which have been in effect since 2022.
To adopt a complete change to the front suspension means Ferrari must believe they have stumbled upon a major upgrade compared to what they have used over the past three seasons.
Red Bull's sidepods become popular across the paddock
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If so, Red Bull must feel flattered.
Last season's Red Bull appears to have been the inspiration for many teams coming into 2025. Possibly the most notable influence is the sidepod.
The sidepod of an F1 car is vital. They extend from the cockpit, where the driver sits, to the rear wheels. They are designed to extend from the main body of the car and house the radiators that cool the engine and gear boxes.
Sidepods need to allow air to travel through the car to cool the engine, but also manage that airflow to reduce drag and increase speed.
In 2024, Red Bull introduced a sidepod that was described as "an overbite" on the side of the car. The cooling layout of the sidepod had both a vertical and horizontal slit, which led to the overbite look.
That design has been studied by several teams.
Ferrari and Mercedes are two teams that have clearly been influenced by the Red Bull overbite and are sporting their own similar designs in testing.
Mercedes paint on a duct, but may have a neat little trick
F1 engineering can be terrific.
The nose of the Mercedes has a little hump on it. Last year, the team said that was a cooling duct for the driver. However, that cooling duct would sit on top of the hump.
This season, that cooling duct is nothing more than a paint job.
Why? Well, the speculation is that it may have to do with the front suspension of the car.
That hump is where the front suspension pick-up is — the mounting point where the weight of the car is transferred from the chassis to the components of that suspension system.
Has Mercedes stumbled upon a cool little trick with their front suspension? Maybe. Their nose certainly looks different to their rivals.
Some teams are already looking to next year
The 2025 season has not begun, but it appears some teams on the grid are looking ahead to 2026.
All teams will have upgraded their cars over the off-season, but for some, it may be more beneficial to turn their attention to next year.
F1's regulations will change for the 2026 season, meaning new designs and concepts must be developed.
Each team is only allowed a certain amount of time to run a car on track, or use a wind tunnel to test their challengers.
This is strictly monitored by the governing bodies, meaning each team must spend their time wisely.
Those who are in the hunt for this year's championships will, at least at the start of this season, be focused on the 2025 car.
But teams towards the rear may already be putting the majority of their time and energy into developing a fast car for 2026.
Williams, Alpine and Sauber (who will become Audi next season) are teams that do not appear to have drastically modified their cars.
These three teams appear to be driving around in their 2024 challengers, with aerodynamic upgrades.
These cars should be an improvement on last year but as other teams bring more upgrades throughout the season, these teams may start to slide down the pecking order.
There is logic behind this strategy. In 2008, Honda effectively ran the same car they had done in 2007, with all their focus going into the following season with new regulation changes. While Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2008 and sold the team to Ross Brawn for one pound, the team was the same.
In its only season of existence, Brawn GP won the constructors' championship with driver Jenson Button becoming the drivers' champion.
Williams appears to have taken a step forward
Despite Williams having a clear focus on 2026, that does not mean they will not have a strong car to start this season.
Recruit Carlos Sainz topped the timing sheets on day two of testing.
Timing sheets in pre-season can be misleading, but at face value, it looks like Williams has taken a step in the right direction.
Williams was able to post substantially quicker times in pre-season testing, at the same venue, compared to last year.
The famed British team finished ninth last season, with Alex Albon doing most of the point scoring.
But with a multiple-time grand prix winner joining the team, an aerodynamic upgrade, and another season with the brilliantly talented James Vowles as team principal, Williams could be a team that fills out the top-10 in the early races this season.
The higher you finish in the constructors' championship, the more prize money you receive.
Williams will be hoping to bank a haul of points early this season and try to be the leading mid-field team of 2025.
