Racing Bulls and Sauber set for Imola F1 testing

The Sauber and Racing Bulls Formula 1 teams will kick off their 2025 campaigns with a multi-day test in Imola this week.

As previously reported, Racing Bulls will head to the venue of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for a three-day test of a previous car [TPC], with its 2025 racing drivers Yuki Tsunoda and debutant Isack Hadjar driving the 2023 AT04 from the team’s AlphaTauri days.

After running on Tuesday, the RB team will be joined on the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari by Sauber, which will wheel out its 2022 C42 car for its new driver pairing Nico Hulkenberg and F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

Hulkenberg and debutant Bortoleto will take to the track on Wednesday and Thursday, with the duo having already acquainted themselves with their new team at December’s Abu Dhabi post-season test.

Nico Hulkenberg, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

From this year, testing of a previous car – at least two years old – is limited to 1000km and four days for regular grand prix drivers as the FIA clamps down on teams using the possibility to run their older machinery to conduct testing relevant to their current development, rather than for training young drivers as intended.

Rain is predicted on Wednesday and Thursday, which could derail running but equally afford 2025 rookies Hadjar and Bortoleto some valuable experience of running an F1 car in the wet.

Elsewhere in Italy, Lewis Hamilton made his first public Ferrari appearance on Monday as part of an extended visit to Maranello to get up to speed with his new squad.

Following plenty of introductions and meetings, Hamilton started simulator work and a seat fit before likely making his testing debut for Ferrari on Wednesday on its Fiorano test track with the Scuderia’s F1-75 from 2022, joined by his new team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Watch: First day as a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver for Lewis