Lewis Hamilton has shared his assessment of McLaren and Red Bull's performances during F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The Ferrari driver was impressed by McLaren's pace, particularly noting Lando Norris' strong showing.
Hamilton also acknowledged Max Verstappen's "decent" performance for Red Bull, despite challenging temperature conditions affecting lap times.
Many in the F1 paddock have been struck by McLaren's speed during testing, with some suggesting the British team has developed a title contender for 2025.
Lewis Hamilton spoke out on his F1 rivals
Reuters
The varying Bahrain temperatures have had "a huge impact on times" according to Hamilton, making direct comparisons difficult.
Speaking about McLaren's performance, Hamilton said: "The McLaren did a great run yesterday, and I think also Max did a decent one today, given that even with the temperatures."
The seven-time world champion made these observations as temperatures fluctuated significantly during the testing sessions in Bahrain.
Thursday's impressive McLaren pace was followed by warmer conditions on Friday, which Hamilton noted had affected performance metrics.
Despite the changing conditions, both McLaren and Red Bull showed promising form that caught Hamilton's attention.
The Ferrari driver's comments come as teams completed their final preparations ahead of the 2025 season opener.
Hamilton cautioned against reading too much into testing times, emphasising the variables at play.
"Again, it's hard to know what fuel loads everyone is running as we're all doing different, our own programmes, so you have to take everything with a pinch of salt," he explained.
This standard pre-season testing caveat highlights the difficulty in determining true performance levels.
Teams typically run different fuel loads and testing programmes, making direct comparisons challenging.
Lando Norris is seen as the main challenger to Max Verstappen's F1 throne
Reuters
Hamilton's comments reflect the experienced perspective of a seven-time world champion who understands the complexities of pre-season data.
The Bahrain testing sessions have provided glimpses of potential performance, but Hamilton suggests final conclusions should be reserved.
Hamilton drew parallels between McLaren's current position and Red Bull's previous dominance in the sport.
"If not the quickest, as with Red Bull, who dominated for many, many years. So for us, we're just trying to improve," Hamilton observed.
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Max Verstappen was praised by Lewis Hamilton amid the Bahrain weather
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The Ferrari driver spent the afternoon and early evening completing long runs with his new team.
Until then, he had driven a maximum of 10 laps in a row with Ferrari's SF-25.
Hamilton's move to Ferrari earlier this year marked a major shift after more than a decade with Mercedes.
The Italian team is hoping this partnership will boost their championship prospects for the 2025 season.
