Norris fastest as Hamilton pips Leclerc in Pirelli tyre test
5th February 2025Lewis Hamilton set a faster lap time than his new teammate, Charles Leclerc, as both Ferrari and McLaren head out for a Pirelli tyre test.
Feature image credit: Pirelli Motorsport
While the official Formula 1 season has not yet recommenced for the upcoming 2025 season, F1 cars were back on track this weekend as Ferrari and McLaren, the 2024 title rivals, conducted a tyre test for Pirelli.
The teams were working with Pirelli on the development of their 2026 tyres. This followed McLaren’s test with Pirelli at Paul Ricard where both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri conducted tests on the intermediate and extreme wet tyres.
In this test, which was held at the Spanish Grand Prix venue: Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, the teams were focused on the development of the slick tyres.
The focus was primarily on the construction and compound of the tyres, and Pirelli brought the hardest compounds in their range: C1 – C3, as the Spanish venue is demanding on tyres.
Pirelli’s second test session of 2025 got underway today at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. After last week’s test at Le Castellet, McLaren F1 Racing was again working with Pirelli on 2026 tyre development, joined this time by Scuderia Ferrari HP. https://t.co/7QlDHryCYE pic.twitter.com/iqL2Rbqw36
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) February 4, 2025
Both Hamilton and Leclerc were driving a modified version of the team’s 2024 challenger, the SF-24, whereas Norris was behind the wheel of the MCL60 which was adapted to support testing.
A total of 332 laps were completed across the day with Norris completing the most amount of laps: 159. Both Ferrari drivers put in similar mileage as Hamilton completed 87 laps in the test, one more than Leclerc (86).
Norris put in the fastest lap time on the board with a 1m 15.215s. Hamilton’s fastest lap was just behind by over half a second, 1m 15.930s, as Leclerc finished the day with his best time of 1m 16.060s.
The teams are back at it on Wednesday with Piastri piloting the McLaren whilst Leclerc and Hamilton continue to share driving duties, the former in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
