Alex Brundle noticed £2.5m-a-year F1 driver ‘physically struggling in the car’ during testing

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2025 Formula 1 testing featured no breakdowns, a testament to the reliability of the current cars. If there was ever a time of year where they’d stop on track, it would be now.

Of course, some teams did experience issues. For instance, Ferrari’s test came to an early end on Friday over an unspecified technical problem, with the covers up in front of the garage.

Still, the only red flags were caused by bizarre external problems. There was a power cut on day one, broken glass in the pit lane and a bus that entered the runoff area.

It’s also noteworthy that there were no accidents despite the presence of multiple rookies. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) are all preparing for their first race starts in Australia.

Oliver Bearman (Haas), Jack Doohan (Alpine) and Liam Lawson (Red Bull) have raced before, but none of them have started a season. One rival team member mocked Lawson’s performance, but aside from one spin, it was a fairly smooth test.

Even some of the most experienced drivers had minor mishaps. World champion Max Verstappen and new Williams signing Carlos Sainz both spun in the final few hours of running.

Alex Brundle concerned about unwell Lance Stroll after what he saw trackside

Aston Martin had a disrupted day three, with Lance Stroll unable to run in the morning session due to illness. Commentator David Croft reported that Stroll had hardly slept the previous night.

After Fernando Alonso stepped in, the Canadian tried to return in the afternoon. He only managed to complete 34 laps – fewer than any other driver – before he had to retire.

Stroll’s best lap time was more than two seconds off the pace, and speaking to F1’s official YouTube channel, pundit Alex Brundle suggested he was ‘behind the car’.

Watching on from trackside, Brundle could see that Stroll was uncomfortable at the wheel. One would imagine he’ll be fit for the Australian GP, but perhaps it was risky to send him out in the first place.

“I was out on track while Lance was driving actually, and he was behind the car,” Brundle said. “I do hope he’s feeling better really, really soon. You could see he was physically struggling in the car.”

Lance Stroll’s father Lawrence made worrying gesture when asked about 2025 Aston Martin car

Stroll was a doubt for the opening race of the season two years ago after a cycling accident. But he fought his way back for Bahrain and finished an excellent P6.

A repeat of that result this year looks highly unlikely. Aston Martin are in ‘quite some trouble’ before Melbourne, Ivan Capelli says.

Given the tight nature of the midfield at the end of the season – and the impressive performances from Alpine and Williams – it’s possible that Aston will drop as low as P9 in the pecking order. That could mean Q1 exits for Stroll and Alonso.

Ted Kravitz says Lawrence Stroll shook his head when asked about the AMR25 as he left Sakhir. Perhaps they’ll be one of the first to switch focus to 2026 and the regulation changes.