How long does it take drivers to figure out how good their car is?

Pre-season testing for the 2025 Formula 1 season is only just under way, but a question over how long it can take to judge a car’s performance split opinion in Bahrain

Lance Stroll could already know if F1 2025 will yield an upturn in form for Aston Martin as he and fellow drivers disagreed on how long they need to judge if their new car is a winner.

That means the Canadian may feel he is aware if Aston’s targets for the upcoming campaign are achievable, having run for just the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Read Also:

The team secured back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the constructors’ championship last season but totalled just 94 points from the 24 races, having amassed 280 points a year earlier.

With Adrian Newey unable to begin his new role as managing technical partner until 1 March, all eyes will be on whether Aston can replicate its success of two years ago this time around.

Stroll, though, may already have an idea.

Asked how long it takes to know the potential of a new car, he simply replied: “Sometimes less than five laps.”

He was speaking alongside George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at the first drivers’ press conference in Bahrain, and the trio did not seem to follow Stroll’s logic.

“I think I'm more patient,” said Ocon, who will race for Haas this season. “I wait a bit more. I wait after FP3 [in Australia] to give some answers.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Peter Fox - Getty Images

“But no, really everyone goes flat out at the first qualifying, and then you know better. Of course, you start to take a little bit of information from everyone, try and dig into which run profile everyone did. And you start to build a picture.

“I'm focusing on my side of the job. And once you arrive into the first race anyway, that's when it matters. So we'll see. “

Russell would not comment, having been asked the question before driving the Mercedes W16 in anger for the first time.

Pierre Gasly, who alongside Ocon endured a tough start to last season with Alpine as the French pair locked out the back row of the grid for the opening race in Bahrain, had a similar outlook to his compatriot.

“Well, it took us no laps last year to know it was going to be challenging,” he said. “I guess it's all into perspective. We always know by Q1 in Australia, then you get a better picture.”