Fernando Alonso has completed his three-day testing stint for the 2025 preseason, and the results have been less than impressive. The last day of testing was much like the rest – few laps, short tests, and a plethora of speed checks and measurements, but no qualification or race simulations to speak of. The new Aston Martin car, the AMR25, has left Bahrain with a sense of disappointment, feeling like a continuation of the 2024 model, but even more bland on a single lap.
The corrections to the car have been continuous, with too many tweaks in relation to other cars, making it hard to manage. While it’s possible that the team has been running with a heavy fuel load and conservative power maps, Alonso’s second batch on Wednesday was the only flash of brilliance in an otherwise underwhelming test. If this is a tactic by new team principal Andy Cowell to lower expectations, it seems to be working.
As things stand, the AMR25 appears to be the third car from the back, around eighth on the grid. Alonso’s eighth-place finish this morning only reinforces this notion. However, it’s essential to remember that Aston Martin can’t be written off just yet. With Adrian Newey set to join the team soon, they’ll have new technical tools at their disposal in Silverstone, and a simple, well-executed evolution could see them climb many positions.
The season kicks off in Australia, a track that’s the opposite of Bahrain in every way – medium to low grip and very fast, with a revamped layout from two years ago. There will be new parts on the car, and maybe they’ll be back to being the fifth team on the grid, but for now, that spot seems to belong to Williams, based on what we’ve seen in these three days. Caution and patience are necessary, but it’s crucial to report what’s seen at this time, not what could be. The sky looks gloomy for Alonso’s team at the moment.
To cap off the week, an indisposition for Lance Stroll meant Alonso had to get into the car and run unexpectedly this morning, instead of doing the afternoon session as planned. The difference is significant because Stroll had the last afternoon, which could have included a full race simulation, whereas Alonso leaves with three morning sessions and no meaningful running, which is what truly matters on this track, especially since the Bahrain Grand Prix is a night race.
For some, this might be a problem, but for Alonso, with his wealth of experience, it’s merely an anecdote. He’ll head to Melbourne with his motivation intact, as if he were driving the best car on the grid. Right now, that’s the only thing that inspires confidence in this team, and they’ll have to wait for better days.
Meanwhile, those who will be fighting for the first victories have had a more promising test. Charles Leclerc finished with the best time of the morning, far ahead of what he achieved on Thursday with cold conditions. Antonelli was second, and Norris third, while Verstappen, who was doing short stints like Alonso, ended up fourth unintentionally and will simulate a race this afternoon to gauge his true pace. Albon was sixth and had a very even day with Doohan from Alpine, who will have a similar program to Sainz on Thursday, where he ended up first. We’ll see how the tests conclude and if there are any surprises regarding what’s at stake, which seems to be McLaren’s dominance.