Red Bull head the biggest losers from 2025 F1 pre-season testing

Pre-season testing has concluded ahead of the 2025 F1 season, with the next on-track running teams will experience being the opening round of the year in Australia.

RacingNews365 recently took you through the biggest winners from the three-day event in Bahrain.

But just who are the biggest losers from testing? See the list below!

Red Bull

The 2024 F1 season was a challenging affair for Red Bull as it slipped back in the pecking order shortly after assumptions were created that it would cakewalk its way to another double title.

Although Max Verstappen was able to clinch a drivers’ championship, Red Bull fell to third in the constructors’ standings for the first time since 2019.

With a revised driver line-up, Red Bull entered the new season with a fresh slate as it looks to get its campaign off to a strong start.

Although its pace did not look bleak, it faced a series of hitches throughout the three-day test that caused the team to carry out work in the garage and miss out on valuable running.

Red Bull set the fewest laps from any team throughout the three-day event, with 306 to its name.

While there is time to rectify the issues and put fixes in place to eliminate any in-season concerns, it was far from the trouble-free start Red Bull was hoping for.

Lance Stroll

There are a lot of unknowns surrounding Aston Martin heading into the new season following a pretty low-key pre-season testing.

It was an even quieter affair for Stroll, who clocked just 133 laps throughout the three-day test - by far the fewest from any single driver.

Stroll's on-track action was cut short on Friday after the Canadian driver fell ill. It was originally assumed he would not drive at all, but Stroll chanced the situation only to last a handful of laps before stepping out of the cockpit once again.

Stroll is no stranger to a lack of experience at testing as in 2023, he missed the entire pre-season build-up after suffering a cycling accident.

But the AMR23 from two years ago was evidently a kinder car to the drivers. With the new F1 campaign just around the corner and few laps under his belt, it may result in a difficult start to the year for Stroll.

Stake F1

Things are not looking good at the Stake F1 team.

In truth, the team is not anticipating a competitive season. Points were very hard to come by last year as it bagged just one top 10 finish throughout the entire season.

The project at the Hinwil-based squad is firmly looking towards 2026 when a new set of technical regulations will see it enter as Audi.

2024 was a season of pain for Stake and it seems the upcoming campaign will be no different. The squad looks destined to fill out the bottom of the timesheet at most rounds as points may well be an even trickier task than last year.

But should the car be uncompetitive, it could relieve some of the pressure on rookie Gabriel Bortoleto as he gets up to speed in F1.

For Hulkenberg, the F1 veteran will have a firm eye on 2026 and the hope that his first Audi challenger will be a strong step forward.

Jack Doohan

Doohan has been dealt an unfair hand - just a few weeks ago he was anticipating his first full season as a grand prix driver, and now it seems he is already fighting for his future.

The signing of Franco Colapinto on a multi-year deal following his strong outing with Williams last year immediately led to suggestions he was being lined up for an Alpine promotion.

There was nothing wrong with Doohan's pre-season venture - few mistakes and key data collection for the team is a successful event in any driver's book.

But the key questions and headlines that surrounded the Australian solely related to his future, a situation that is unlikely to cool at the opening round of the year from Melbourne later this month.

With pressure already on his shoulders, Doohan will be scrutinised more intensely than any of his fellow rookies, as testing proved.

Liam Lawson

Coming into pre-season testing, the key element that Lawson needed to build on was experience.

The New Zealander faces a major task this year as he aims to impress Red Bull following his promotion to the front-running team with just 11 grand prix starts to his name.

Having spent a handful of years carrying out reserve driver duties at Red Bull, the 23-year-old is no stranger to the inner workings of the squad.

But experience behind the wheel, especially with the pressure of a grand prix present, is something missing from Lawson's arsenal.

Lawson set 149 laps during the pre-season test, the second-fewest of any driver, as Red Bull was hit with some woes throughout the three days.

Lawson already knew he needed time in the opening rounds to get up to speed alongside Max Verstappen - but following the not-so-smooth test event, that target may well have been extended.