When Is F1 Pre-Season Testing? Dates, Schedule and How to Watch

The 2023 F1 season is just around the corner, which means that the teams and drivers are gearing up for the official pre-season test. Ahead of the start of a new campaign, this is one of the most anticipated events, because of the excitement surrounding the start of a new season.

For teams and drivers, it is also a tense moment because the hard work they put in at the factories over the last few months will be put to check. The main focus for teams lies in getting as many laps under their belt as possible, as it allows them to gather data.

The teams then use this data to chalk out their strengths and weaknesses, work on them and maximize their performance once the real action begins. Drivers too want as much track time as possible because they want to get used to the new cars that they will be driving for the rest of the season.

Also read: McLaren Honours the Legacy of Ayrton Senna On Their 2023 F1 Car

Where will 2023’s pre-season test be held?

For a long time, the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona was the ideal choice for teams when it came to testing. However, with the first round of the season being shifted to Bahrain, and the circuit’s similarity to Barcelona, the middle-eastern nation is now the venue for pre-season testing.

This will be the third year in a row that Bahrain International Circuit will play host to the official F1 pre-season test.

When is F1 pre-season testing?

This year, there will be only one pre-season test unlike last season. In 2022, both Barcelona and Bahrain hosted three days of testing each, but the former was treated more like a shakedown. Cameras and fans were not allowed on the track during the test which disappointed fans greatly.

In 2023, fans don’t have to deal with that disappointment anymore as there will be just one pre-season test in Bahrain that will be accessible to the public. The test will last for three days. It starts on 23rd February and ends on 25th February, a week before the F1 season officially begins.

Also read: Carlos Sainz Reveals Charles Leclerc’s Unusual Nickname During Ferrari SF-23 Shakedown

How long will the test be for?

Every team wants to spend as much time out on track as possible, and would love to do so without any interruptions or regulations. However, to make the playing field even for everyone, they have to strictly adhere to certain guidelines.

During the three days of F1 pre-season testing, each day will be divided into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The teams will want to have both their drivers behind the wheels of their new cars and will divide track time accordingly.

According to F1’s official website, the time allocated for testing is shown to be nine and a half hours for each of the three days. However, it is expected that the morning and afternoon sessions will be of four hours each with a gap of an hour and a half in between.

How to watch F1 testing?

Last year, there were two official tests before the season went underway. The first one, held in Barcelona was treated more like a shakedown, which meant that there was no live coverage on TV. The Bahrain pre-season test featured live coverage on Sky Sports and F1 TV.

In 2023, fans in the US can catch live action on F1 TV, whereas fans from UK can tune into Sky Sports once again. Those with Sky Sports’ subscription can watch the sport live on the SkyGo app.

2023 F1 Schedule:

Initially, F1 announced that the 2023 season will feature 24 races which would have made it the biggest campaign ever. The latter still stands correct, but we will be going ahead with 23 races, with the Chinese GP being cancelled for the third year in a row.

Here is the full 2023 F1 schedule:

1	Bahrain Grand Prix	5th March
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	19th March
3	Australian Grand Prix	2nd April
4	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	30th April
5	Miami Grand Prix	7th May
6	Emilia Romagna Grand Prix	21st May
7	Monaco Grand Prix	28th May
8	Spanish Grand Prix	4th June
9	Canadian Grand Prix	18th June
10	Austrian Grand Prix	2nd July
11	British Grand Prix	9th July
12	Hungarian Grand Prix	23rd July
13	Belgian Grand Prix	30th July
14	Dutch Grand Prix	27th August
15	Italian Grand Prix	3rd September
16	Singapore Grand Prix	17th September
17	Japanese Grand Prix	24th September
18	Qatar Grand Prix	8th October
19	United States Grand Prix	22nd October
20	Mexico City Grand Prix	29th October
21	Sao Paolo Grand Prix	5th November
22	Las Vegas Grand Prix	18th November
23	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	26th November

Also read: Why Bahrain is Chosen Over Barcelona for F1 Pre-Season Testing?

2023 F1 Drivers and teams:

There have been quite a few changes in the driver line-up heading into the new season. Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season, which opened up one spot at Aston Martin.

This led to a domino effect and consequently, a series of changes among driving pairings on the grid.

Team	Driver 1	Driver 2
Red Bull	Max Verstappen	Sergio Perez
Ferrari	Charles Leclerc	Carlos Sainz
Mercedes	Lewis Hamilton	George Russell
Alpine	Pierre Gasly	Esteban Ocon
McLaren	Lando Norris	Oscar Piastri
Alfa Romeo	Valtteri Bottas	Guanyu Zhou
Haas	Kevin Magnussen	Nico Hulkenberg
Aston Martin	Fernando Alonso	Lance Stroll
AlphaTauri	Yuki Tsunoda	Nyck de Vries
Williams	Alex Albon	Logan Sargeant