Ferrari F1 star caught 'SLEEPING' during Bahrain pre-season testing

Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Red Bull, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Pre-Season Testing 2025

F1 star caught 'SLEEPING' during Bahrain pre-season testing

Charles Leclerc was caught sleeping on the job

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 28 February 2025 10:12

One Formula 1 star has been caught taking a 'nap' during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Ferrari have been preparing for the 2025 season by splitting running between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton throughout all the testing days so far, with one driver taking the morning sessions, and the other the afternoon.

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Hamilton has been taking part in his first official timed sessions with Ferrari this week during testing, following his departure from his former Mercedes team at the end of 2024.

Alongside the supremely talented Leclerc, Hamilton is hoping to power Ferrari to their first world championship title of any kind since 2008, while the Brit is himself looking for a record-breaking eighth world championship.

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Ferrari are one of the favourites to claim both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2025 in what appears to be a wide-open championship battle in both standings.

The true potential of each team's machinery cannot be determined from testing results alone but having said that, the Scuderia have started pre-season testing off strongly.

Each testing session is four hours long, resulting in eight hours of testing opportunities each day, with Ferrari deciding so far to equally split the days between their two drivers.

However, while seven-time champion Hamilton was driving the car on Thursday, Sky Sports F1 commentators noticed Leclerc getting some shut-eye in the Ferrari garage.

"Charles Leclerc, wake up! The season has started fella," broadcaster David Croft proclaimed as the camera panned to Leclerc with his eyes closed.

Co-commentator Natalie Pinkham countered: "I think he might be meditating, you can’t be sleeping when there are that many people watching you!"

Leclerc then finally opened his eyes, much to the delight of Pinkham: "There he is! He was just having a little stretch."