Prepare yourself for a thrilling three-day event of Formula 1 pre-season testing, due to jump start in Bahrain this week. Following an enthralling launch show hosted at the famous O2 Arena in London, the time has come for driving skills to speak louder than words as we transition towards testing, an exercise of equal importance as the 24 Grands Prix themselves.
What goes down during the Formula 1 pre-season testing, you may ask? Live coverage starting from the bright and early ‘green light’ at 7 am all the way till the day’s end with the ‘chequered flag’ at 4 pm UK time, gives enthusiasts a chance to catch the first real glance of the new F1 cars’ performance. This is the crucial phase when teams undertake the mission of logging in as many miles as possible, perfecting their initial setups, and understanding the speed capabilities of their newly-acquired cars, gearing them up for the soon-to-commence Australian Grand Prix running from March 14 – 16.
The testing stretch of each day splits into two sessions, each of four hours duration – the morning session is scheduled from 7 am to 11 am while the afternoon stretches from noon to 4 pm. Spectators can also look forward to media events scattered throughout these three extensive days. These interactive sessions also include press conferences thrown into the one-hour lunch breaks.
Keeping you looped in with the day’s progress post-testing is the nightly ‘Testing Wrap’, scheduled for 8 pm. A comprehensive summary of the day’s highlights and exclusive interviews are the main features of this wrap that will keep you up-to-speed with the happenings of the day.
A special, unmissable show titled ‘Development Corner’ awaits viewers after the final run of testing completes. This engagement is where we start glimpsing at the projected 2025 on-track hierarchy and valuable insights into the up-and-coming season.
Let’s dive into the daily timelines for the testing phase. The inaugural day, Wednesday, February 26, unfolds its morning session from 6:50 am to 11:05 am, followed by an afternoon session from 11:55 am until 4:05 pm. The second day, Thursday, February 27, follows a similar agenda. Finally, it’s Friday, February 28 that serves us with the last slice of testing sessions, running on the same schedule as the preceding days.
Intriguing line-ups of drivers from several recognized teams have been arranged for testing on all these days. On Day One, the morning and afternoon sessions will witness racers from McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine, Haas, Racing Bulls, Williams, and Sauber augmenting the adrenaline levels of the field. The action-packed roster includes notable names like Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, Lawson, Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell, Alonso, Stroll, Doohan, Gasly, Bearman, Ocon, Tsunoda, Hadjar, Albon, Sainz, Hulkenberg, and Bortoleto.
The consecutive Day Two also flaunts a captivating driver line-up featuring the skills of Piastri, Norris, Lawson, Russell, Antonelli, Alonso, Stroll, Gasly, Doohan, Ocon, Bearman, Tsunoda, Hadjar, Sainz, Hulkenberg, and Bortoleto from teams including McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine, Haas, Racing Bulls, Williams, and Sauber.
Lastly, Day Three, hosts daring performances by drivers Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell, Stroll, Alonso, Doohan, Gasly, Bearman, Ocon, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Albon, Bortoleto, and Hulkenberg, who will represent the same teams from Days One and Two.
For the first time since 2019, Melbourne gets the honor of hosting the season-opener with the Australian Grand Prix scheduled from March 14-16. The introductory race has shifted its base from Bahrain to Australia owing to the observance of Ramadan throughout March.
As for the 2025 Formula 1 season calendar, it’s packed with 24 unstoppable events, mirroring the same count from the previous year. The capstone of this ever-thrilling series will be the glamorous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, set to add to the racing excitement from December 5 to 7.