Formula 1 Testing: All You Need To Know

Formula 1 pre-season testing kicks off this week at the Bahrain International Circuit. From Wednesday to Friday, the race is on for the 10 teams to gather important data ahead of the first Grand Prix on March 2.

Testing is a crucial phase of the season, and despite there being no points on offer it can make or break the first two races. The team’s race is at the same circuit where testing takes place before a short trip to Saudi Arabia.

What To Look Out For At Testing

Red Bull have had unrivaled success in the past two seasons, and they were strong in Bahrain this time last year.

Their new car, the RB20, is markedly different in comparison to last year’s peerless machine. Red Bull’s engineers have taken a page out of Mercedes’ book for the RB20 by using sidepod inlets and shoulder cannons.

This is what Mercedes’ approach was to their 2023 car and proved unsuccessful as the Brackley-based team finished without a win.

Red Bull’s chief designer Adrian Newey is one of the sport’s most successful men. If he can lead the team to push the goalposts even further with a radical design, he will be immortalised by the team.

The battle between Aston Martin and McLaren will be interesting as last year both teams had markedly different testing periods.

Aston Martin emerged with one of the fastest cars as two-time champion Fernando Alonos laid down the gauntlet in Bahrain.

On the opposite end of the list saw McLaren as they were completely out of depth at pre-season testing. Team principal Zak Brown had no answers and the papaya team struggled early on in the season, while Alonso scored six podium finishers in the opening eight races.

The Mercedes-powered teams will look to build on the momentum of last season and their cars will be scrutinised by fans and media to see if they can take the fight to the factory outfits.

Speaking of the works teams, it’ll be interesting to see how things are between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in the paddock. The duo have been quiet since the seven-time champion announced he’ll join Ferrari in 2025.

In the scarlet garage, it’s Carlos Sainz’s last time out in pre-season testing for Ferrari and he’ll want to show the Italian team they made a huge mistake in letting him go.

What’s The Testing Schedule?

Teams are only allowed to have one driver on the track. So far, only four teams have confirmed which of their drivers will run in the morning or afternoon sessions and on which days.

Alpine-
Wednesday: Esteban Ocon (AM) / Pierre Gasly (PM) Thursday: Pierre Gasly (AM) / Esteban Ocon (PM) Friday: Esteban Ocon (AM) / Pierre Gasly (PM)

Aston Martin –
Wednesday: Fernando Alonso (AM) / Lance Stroll (PM) Thursday: Fernando Alonso (AM) / Lance Stroll (PM) Friday: Lance Stroll (AM) / Fernando Alonso (PM)

Ferrari –
Wednesday: Charles Leclerc (AM) / Carlos Sainz (PM) Thursday: TBA Friday: TBA

Haas –
Wednesday: Kevin Magnussen (AM) / Nico Hulkenberg (PM) Thursday: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) / Kevin Magnussen (PM) Friday: Kevin Magnussen (AM) / Nico Hulkenberg (PM)

The remaining six teams are yet to announce when they’ll venture on track in Bah