Haas F1 Team seek to keep momentum going in Bahrain

The Sakhir venue, a familiar test for drivers and teams alike, hosted pre-season testing in February and now stages the championship’s first night race of the year. Monetgram-backed Haas head into the Bahrain Grand Prix sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with 15 points, having delivered consecutive points finishes in China and Japan.

Team Principal Ayao Komatsu is optimistic the team can maintain its upward trajectory: “We come back to Bahrain, the venue of pre-season testing and even though it was only five weeks ago that we were last here, a lot has happened during that time, as usual in Formula 1.

“We had our low in Australia, followed by a double-point finish in Shanghai and a P10 in Suzuka. I feel we’re coming back here with a much better understanding of the car, and actually as a better team."

Komatsu continued: “I’m looking forward to seeing how the new parts that we brought to Suzuka perform here. We will have Ryō Hirakawa making his FP1 debut with us. We were very impressed with him when he drove for us in Abu Dhabi, so it’s great to welcome him back to the team.

“The Sakhir circuit always offers an exciting race at night with many overtakes, so we’re looking forward to building on our solid performance last weekend,” said Komatsu.

Ollie Bearman will hand over his VF-25 to reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa in Free Practice 1, as the Japanese driver begins the first of four scheduled FP1 sessions in 2025.

Despite sitting out Friday’s opening session, Bearman is relishing his return to a circuit he knows well: “I’m really excited to go back to Bahrain, it’s the first track I’m returning to in Formula 1 after pre-season testing which was over a month ago now.

“It’s going to be a good weekend, and the first night race of the season which will be fun, hopefully it’s a great filling to this triple-header sandwich.”

Esteban Ocon has fond memories of Bahrain, having scored his first Formula 1 podium at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix on the outer circuit layout.

The Frenchman. “Firstly it’s the home of Formula 1; coming here for testing over the last seasons, and I got my first podium in Bahrain which will always bring memories when I go.

“It’s a track that I enjoy, it has very special characteristics compared to other tracks; the degradation is very high, everyone knows it by heart, and it’s a test for us drivers physically with the heat but also with the cars.

“We usually know what to expect, but it’s going to be an interesting test for us to go back there after testing and see what our true performance is.”

Haas will be aiming to extend their points streak to three races under the floodlights of Sakhir and solidify their place in the midfield pack as the 2025 campaign gains momentum.