When it begins and methods to watch

The brand new F1 season is on the horizon with groups set to journey to Bahrain for pre-season testing, the place followers will get a primary glimpse into who could – or could not – be aggressive.  

Drivers will as soon as once more kickstart their F1 campaigns at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit with pre-season testing on the 21-23 February within the first little bit of monitor motion for 2024.  

This 12 months’s testing is only a week earlier than the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on the 29 February-2 March, the place a lot of what’s learnt from testing could come into play. 

Will Purple Bull as soon as once more be the staff to beat? Is Max Verstappen on for a fourth consecutive world championship? Or, can McLaren construct on its momentum from 2023 and shut the hole to Purple Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes? 

Many extra questions will current themselves, whereas a lot of the grid will stay the identical however with two new staff names as AlphaTauri has rebranded as RB and Sauber has ditched its Alfa Romeo guise with Stake backing.

So, with pleasure firmly constructing for the upcoming F1 season, right here is every little thing to learn about pre-season testing the place followers may also get their first glimpses into how the brand new 2024 automotive liveries look on monitor.  

Sauber C44

Photograph by: Sauber F1 Group

When is F1’s 2024 pre-season testing? 

F1 will stage its pre-season check at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit for a fourth consecutive 12 months, the place groups have simply three days of working to finish their totally different testing applications forward of the season-opener on the identical venue. 

Having Bahrain because the pre-season check venue permits F1 groups to finish monitor motion in consultant scorching, dry and sunny circumstances. It additionally retains journey prices down and stays in step with F1’s pledge to be extra environmentally pleasant, as groups not need to fly from pre-season testing to the opening grand prix. 

Nevertheless, earlier than pre-season testing a staff additionally undertakes a filming day – also called a shakedown – the place as much as 200km of monitor time might be accomplished simply to ensure every little thing is working correctly with its new automotive.  

Who’s driving in F1 pre-season testing?

The F1 driver marketplace for 2024 was very quiet as every staff maintained its line-up from the 2023 season. The most important information story over the low season was truly a driver switch for 2025 as Lewis Hamilton will depart Mercedes for Ferrari, which is predicted to be considered one of many strikes for subsequent 12 months as a number of contracts expire on the finish of 2024.  

Though the identical drivers are partaking in pre-season this 12 months, many are on monitor at totally different occasions with one aspect of a staff’s storage taking the morning session and the opposite heading out post-lunch. Nevertheless, the specifics of which F1 driver is out when are but to be revealed.  

Though the identical drivers are partaking in pre-season this 12 months, many are on monitor at totally different occasions with one aspect of a staff’s storage taking the morning session and the opposite heading out post-lunch. Nevertheless, the specifics of which F1 driver is out when are but to be revealed.  

What occurs at F1 pre-season testing?  

F1 pre-season testing offers a staff its first alternative to run totally different automotive set-ups, elements and applications in preparation for the upcoming marketing campaign.

It’s much less about pace and extra about gaining information on the brand new automotive by finishing as many laps as potential, the place groups are free to run any set-up that they want. So, consider it like a Free Apply 1 session however throughout a complete day occasions three. 

Night time lighting and the Bahrain flag

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures

F1 pre-season testing on TV  

The official tv timings are but to be introduced however, as per final 12 months, F1 is predicted to broadcast all the Bahrain check on Sky Sports activities F1 in the UK and Eire, plus on F1 TV in international locations the place it’s obtainable.

Motorsport.com might be working a reside textual content commentary on the F1 pre-season check at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit.  

F1 pre-season testing climate forecast 

Bahrain is predicted to be scorching and sunny throughout F1’s 2024 pre-season check, with temperatures often above 20 levels Celsius, however not straying increased than 24 levels Celsius.

Friday is predicted to be the most well liked and sunniest day of working, whereas cloudy intervals are predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. 

Nevertheless, there are 9 hours between the beginning of the day and when monitor time finishes, so temperatures could range all through and turn into quite a bit cooler because the solar begins to drop. 

There are additionally very low probabilities of rain which makes it extra consultant of the opening grand prix than when Barcelona held pre-season testing, as a result of temperatures within the Spanish metropolis would not often go above 15 levels Celsius in February. 

How correct is F1 pre-season testing? 

It’s only testing, so lap occasions should not be taken as a particular indicator into what the pecking order might be.

It’s because lap occasions set in testing are obscured by a number of variables which embrace totally different automotive set-ups, gas masses, engine modes, tyre compound and tyre life, so it isn’t like in qualifying the place groups have every little thing cranked up for one lap. 

Sandbagging can also be frequent in pre-season testing, and refers to when a staff prefers to cover its potential in order that it doesn’t present everybody its full tempo earlier than the opening grand prix. This may all be seen within the knowledge beneath, which lists the quickest lap in testing in comparison with the equal pole place time on the identical circuit later within the 12 months.

Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB19

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

What occurred between 2016 and 2019 greatest explains why testing will not be the be-all and end-all as a result of Ferrari topped it yearly throughout that point, however the Scuderia didn’t win a kind of world championships.

There may be additionally 2014, the place Felipe Massa topped testing for Williams but the British outfit scored lower than half of constructors’ champions Mercedes’ factors tally that 12 months. 

Nevertheless, pre-season testing does nonetheless provide some indication into who may be the strongest, as a result of Purple Bull has topped the final two earlier than dominating each of these campaigns – although Charles Leclerc took pole and victory in Bahrain in 2022.