REPORT: 131 Laps Recorded on Day 1 of Testing

The 2025 season has officially begun as testing got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit. Driving duties at Atlassian Williams Racing were split on Day 1, with Alex Albon taking the wheel during the morning session.

Starting his fourth season with the team, Alex was able to bank 63 laps across his four-hour stint, with a fastest time of 1:31.573.

“It was an okay day today,” our No. 23 shared after jumping out of the FW47. “We still have a few things to work on, but our base car feels pretty sensible.

“This is what testing’s about, trying to understand the systems and whether there are things we need to address. We’ve made a few changes to the car, which is positive.

“As a team, we’ve had a couple of opportunities to run the car already this year, so that’s a good thing – but as drivers, we always wish we had more time. All in all, though, it was good to get out there!”

Carlos Sainz was in the FW47 for the afternoon session in what turned out to be a disrupted four hours after a power outage forced all cars to return to the garage.

An extra hour was added to the day’s run plan to make up for lost time, which allowed the Spaniard to notch up 68 tours around the Bahrain International Circuit, recording a best time of 1:30.955 as the sun set in Sakhir.

“Overall, it was a positive first day for the team, especially given some of the track stoppages we had with the blackout,” Carlos commented. “We managed to complete the run plan, and we got in a lot of laps, which is always the main target of the first day.

“First impressions are positive, but obviously between now and the next couple of days, we’ll try to improve the balance of the car in both short and long runs.”

Dave Robson, Chief Engineer at Atlassian Williams Racing, was keeping a close eye on proceedings from the pit wall throughout the day and was pleased to report a smooth first full day of running for the FW47.

“It’s always good to finally get a new car to the track and begin to understand how the performance and personality of the car compare to expectations,” Dave explained.

“We have worked hard during the FW47 development period to resolve the weaknesses of last year’s car and to ensure that the FW47 is competitive in a broad range of conditions.

“Carlos’ feedback from driving last year’s car in Abu Dhabi confirmed that we were focused on the right areas, but only today could we begin the process of understanding whether that focus has been rewarded.

“Conditions were cool and gusty all day and, whilst not necessarily representative of how the weather will be when we return here for the Grand Prix next month, they are quite useful conditions in which to push the car and explore its consistency.

“The car ran reliably all day, allowing both drivers to get some valuable experience in it. Based on their experience today, and using the data we collected from over 700km of smooth running, we will plan the final two days of pre-season testing.

“Carlos will continue in the car tomorrow before Alex takes over for the final day on Friday. There is inevitably a lot of work left to be done in a short space of time; however, we have had a good start and are in a position to push the car harder over the next two days.”