The 2026 pre-season testing of Formula 1 will be based at the Bahrain International Circuit and will be the first time the sport will have an on-track event in the new technical age. The test will be divided into two separate three-day events to provide the teams with crucial early mileage as they get familiar with new power units and chassis laws.The first race will take place between Wednesday, February 11 and Friday, February 13, and the second test will be the one between Wednesday, February 18 and Friday, February 20. The races will take place on a daily basis, whereby there will be a daily schedule of 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM local time (7:00 AM to 4:00 PM GMT), with the lunch break being one hour between 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM local time.Lap times during testing are also not always accurate indicators as opposed to race weekends because teams are working on reliability tests, aerodynamic tests and long run data instead of pure speed.
Schedule, timings, and on-track expectations
The test at Bahrain is particularly one to note, as it is the first time that the 2026 cars will fully run under competitive conditions. Teams will also test redesigned power units having higher electrical production, lighter cars and new energy recovery technologies.Audi and Cadillac, making their first competitive formation, are also awaited by fans, both joining Formula 1 under the new regulations. Williams, which failed its earlier Barcelona shakedown, should make its 2026 car publicly shown during these events, and Bahrain would thus represent a major test for the team.
Where to watch and what fans need to know?
The broadcast coverage will be reduced in the first test. Between February 11 and 13, the broadcasts of the major broadcasters like Sky Sports F1 and F1 TV are likely to transmit only the last hour of each day live. Test 2 is expected to be fully covered live on all sessions between February 18 and 20.In the United Kingdom, the broadcast will be on Sky Sports F1, in the United States, it will be on ESPN and ESPN+, and in India, FanCode and Tata Play, and F1 TV Pro are regionally available in supported countries across the world. During the two weeks, fans can also access live timing, data feeds, and commentary by other experts using official Formula 1 digital platforms.
