Why Oscar Piastri and F1 newbie are real winners on day one of testing

Oscar Piastri and his new Formula 1 compatriot may have had a difficult first day of testing in Bahrain, but they're still the real winners during the early part of the season.

F1 is in Bahrain this week for pre-season testing, as the teams' preparations for the 2025 season officially get underway.

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McLaren are expecting to challenge for both titles in 2025, heading into the season as constructors' champions.

Lando Norris started testing in spectacular fashion, finishing the day with the fastest time across the two sessions, but his McLaren team-mate struggled with a time only fast enough for 17th.

Both Norris and Piastri are expected to challenge Max Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers for the 2025 drivers' championship, in what looks to be a wide-open title race.

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Why Piastri and Doohan are the real winners at pre-season testing

Despite Piastri's struggles, his comments during testing suggest that he and fellow Australian Jack Doohan may just be the most fortunate F1 drivers on the 2025 grid.

Doohan is preparing for his first full season in the sport with Alpine, with the 22-year-old one of four rookies in the sport this season.

The pair will already have the huge advantage of being able to compete in their home race for the first grand prix of the season, with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix set to take place on March 16.

On top of this, the pair will be feeling extra refreshed from their 'winter break' which is actually a summer break due to the part of the world that they are from.

Australia's summer takes place from December-February, with the 2024 F1 season finishing on December 8, and this week's testing not taking place until February 26, giving the pair a perfect amount of time to enjoy their summer before embarking on a F1 tour of the world in 2025.

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Compare that to Piastri's team-mate Norris, for example, who - barring luxurious holidays - would have spent his break in the deepest, darkest months of Britain's winter, with temperatures barely reaching double figures, and the sun setting at a dismal 4pm GMT.

Piastri was honest about his and McLaren's first day of testing in Bahrain, but also admitted that he's glad F1 testing is taking place in Bahrain rather than Europe, despite the unusually cool conditions at the circuit this week.

"It’s been a little bit tricky," Piastri told Sky Sports F1. "I think the car is feeling pretty good, we’re just trying to get it into a better window and try a bunch of stuff - that’s especially what the first day [of testing] is for.

"This red flag is obviously not ideal but it’s a similar story for everybody. I think we’re in okay shape, there’s a few teams that are looking pretty good early on but we’re happy how we are doing."

Piastri continued when asked about the cool conditions: "It’s still better than Europe! But a lot colder than we expected. I am sure when we come back in April it will be a different story.

"This is unusual, a few drops of rain before, tomorrow also looks interesting. Everyone came here expecting a tan, t-shirts and shorts, yet we’re all here in puffer jackets and jeans so bit of a different test to normal."

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