Why Ferrari and Williams are under pressure during the Bahrain pre-season test

On Friday in Barcelona for the first test, Ferrari delivered the fastest time. Lewis Hamilton reportedly clocked a 1:16.348.

As a result, hopes are high for the Scuderia in Sakhir to continue showing signs of improvement from 2025, when the Italians failed to claim a single Grand Prix victory.

There are always more eyes on Ferrari, F1’s most famous team, and they have set the standards. Now it’s up to them to at least match the Tifosi's expectations.

The Grove-based team is set for its first pre-season test having missed the one behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya while they finished building their car.

After a shakedown at Silverstone, fans will be able to first see how the new FW48 fares against its rivals, while they need to make up for the miles they couldn't complete in Barcelona. The team of Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz has to smash these three days to recover the mileage they missed out on and they cannot afford to have any problems.

The German team's car caused two red flags during the Barcelona test, and Mattia Binotto spoke about a 'long list of issues' Audi has to resolve after Barcelona.

For a new manufacturer, teething issues are expected. For the team of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, it would be a great achievement to have a flawless three days in Bahrain. Should the team run into more issues, however, concerns would grow further.

Audi have big expectations and have been talking the talk. But can they back that up with reliability and performance and have a solid winter ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne next month. A problem-free test would be most welcome.