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F1’s rookies conduct private tests to start 2025

by Ida Wood

Photo: RBCP

Three of Formula 1’s rookies, and a Super Formula racer, have been busy testing this month in older cars to prepare for their grand prix debuts.

The first in action was Mercedes-AMG’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who drove the team’s F1 W11 car from 2020 at Jerez on Wednesday last week. It is the oldest of the team’s chassis he has sampled, having previously done tests in the 2021 and ’22 cars.

In the ‘Testing Previous Cars’ part of F1’s sporting regulations, this year teams have been capped at 20 days of running. However that applies to cars from 2021 to ’23, meaning Antonelli’s mileage was considered ‘Testing of Historic Cars’.

Imola was used by Racing Bulls and Sauber this week, with the latter running their new signing and reigning Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto while RB fielded promoted the two candidates for its second seat this year: Isack Hadjar, who won the support of Red Bull’s senior management to earn a place on the F1 grid for 2025, and Honda protege Ayumu Iwasa.

“Very positive. Very nice to be back in the car after almost two months. Quite happy with our progress through these two days. Basically all wet sessions, but very good, happy. Thanks to the whole team for making this TPC happen,” Bortoleto said after his running in the Sauber-designed Alfa Romeo C42 from 2022.

RB was on track for three days, and used the AlphaTauri AT04 it raced in 2023. Hadjar did the first two days, key preparation despite the wet conditions for his step up from F2 to F1, and SF racer Iwasa took over for the final day.