Formula 1’s winter break is over, with pre-season testing kicking off the official on-track sessions this weekend in Bahrain.
All 10 teams are in Sakhir for the three days of running, as teams gather initial data to prepare for the season ahead.
Teams will remain in Bahrain as the opening grand prix of the year takes place at the same venue of testing one week later.
Max Verstappen enters the year as the reigning World Championship, having dominated the 2022 campaign with Red Bull.
Ferrari and Mercedes will be looking to dethrone the Milton Keynes-based squad and return to former glory, with testing providing the first clues to the pecking order.
Testing will span three days from Thursday to Saturday, with running split by a one-hour lunch break each day. In total, there will be 24 hours of on-track time throughout the test.
Below, see the sessions and their start times.
| Session | Date | AM (Local) / (GMT) | PM (Local) / (GMT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Thursday, February 23 | 10:00 – 14:15 / 7:00 – 11:15 | 15:15 – 19:30 / 12:15 – 16:30 |
| Day 2 | Friday, February 24 | 10:00 – 14:15 / 7:00 – 11:15 | 15:15 – 19:30 / 12:15 – 16:30 |
| Day 3 | Saturday, February 25 | 10:00 – 14:15 / 7:00 – 11:15 | 15:15 – 19:30 / 12:15 – 16:30 |
Driver line-ups for the test
One significant absent for pre-season testing is Lance Stroll, who has had a minor biking accident in Spain.
Stroll has been replaced by Felipe Drugovich for the test, who will start his 2023 season on a high by being able to drive Aston Martin’s new challenger.
A number of drivers will get to experience their new teams, including Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).
There will also be three rookies in the field, with Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) making their debuts.
| Team | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Red Bull Racing | Max Verstappen | Sergio Perez (AM) Max Verstappen (PM) | Sergio Perez |
 | Ferrari | Carlos Sainz (AM) Charles Leclerc (PM) | Carlos Sainz (AM) Charles Leclerc (PM) | Charles Leclerc (AM) Carlos Sainz (PM) |
 | Mercedes | George Russell (AM) Lewis Hamilton (PM) | Lewis Hamilton (AM) George Russell (PM) | George Russell (AM) Lewis Hamilton (PM) |
 | Alpine | Pierre Gasly (AM) Esteban Ocon (PM) | Esteban Ocon (AM) Pierre Gasly (PM) | Pierre Gasly (AM) Esteban Ocon (PM) |
 | McLaren | Oscar Piastri (AM) Lando Norris (PM) | Lando Norris (AM) Oscar Piastri (PM) | Oscar Piastri (AM) Lando Norris (PM) |
 | Alfa Romeo | Zhou Guanyu (AM) Valtteri Bottas (PM) | Zhou Guanyu | Valtteri Bottas |
 | Aston Martin | Felipe Drugovich (AM) Fernando Alonso (PM) | Fernando Alonso | |
 | Haas | Nico Hulkenberg (AM) Kevin Magnussen (PM) | Kevin Magnussen (AM) Nico Hulkenberg (PM) | Nico Hulkenberg (AM) Kevin Magnussen (PM) |
 | AlphaTauri | Yuki Tsunoda (AM) Nyck de Vries (PM) | Yuki Tsunoda (AM) Nyck de Vries (PM) | Nyck de Vries (AM) Yuki Tsunoda (PM) |
 | Williams | Alexander Albon (AM) Logan Sargeant (PM) | Logan Sargeant | Alexander Albon |
How to watch pre-season testing
Sky Sports F1, which has been the home of motorsport’s top category for over a decade now in the United Kingdom and Ireland, will broadcast the entire test this week.
Sky Sports F1 enters a new season with a slightly revised pundit line-up, with Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta departing the crew.
| Session | Date | Channel | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Thursday, February 23 | Sky, channel 406 / Virgin Media, channel 506 | 06:50 |
| Day 2 | Friday, February 24 | Sky, channel 406 / Virgin Media, channel 506 | 06:50 |
| Day 3 | Saturday, February 25 | Sky, channel 406 / Virgin Media, channel 506 | 06:50 |
How to stream pre-season testing
F1TV, the sport’s own streaming service, will broadcast testing in territories where the service is available.
The list of countries in which F1 TV Pro is available can be found here.
Discussion about this post