The first official pre-season Test ahead of the 2026 F1 season is all set to take place at Bahrain from February 11-13. This three-day affair will give all 11 teams on the grid a chance to test out their 2026 challengers ahead of the new regulations era that will be in effect this year. The first day of this test, on Wednesday, February 11, promises to be busy.
Due to the major changes to both the power unit and the aerodynamic regulations in 2026, the new regulations have been touted as some of the most major changes in recent times. This is why the F1 teams have already completed a five-day private test in Barcelona that took place from January 26-30.
The shakedown in Barcelona was not televised, taking place behind closed doors. The test in Bahrain is a different story, as it will be televised and run like the usual pre-season test ahead of every new season.
As previously mentioned, the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit will commence on Wednesday. So let’s take a look at the driver line-up for the first day’s running.
Driver Line-up for Day 1 of the 2026 Bahrain Pre-Season Test
The 2026 F1 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain will run across three days, with all on-track action scheduled from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM local time (2:00 AM–11:00 AM EST). An unofficial lunch break will take place between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM local time (6:00 AM–7:00 AM EST).
Each team is limited to running one car during the Bahrain test, prompting outfits to split track time between their two drivers across the three days. All teams have opted to rotate drivers on at least one day of running.
Below is how teams have chosen to allocate track time for Day 1, based on the information currently available.
McLaren
- Oscar Piastri: All day
Mercedes
- George Russell: Morning session
- Kimi Antonelli: Afternoon session
Red Bull Racing
- Max Verstappen: All day [via De Telegraaf]
Scuderia Ferrari
- TBC
Williams
- Carlos Sainz: Morning session
- Alex Albon: Afternoon session
Racing Bulls
- TBC
Aston Martin
- Lance Stroll: All day
Haas F1
- Esteban Ocon: All day
Audi
- TBC
Alpine
- TBC
Cadillac
- TBC
Following a full day of running on Wednesday, all teams will then return on Thursday for the same, some with different drivers behind the wheel. The same will take place on the final day of the test on Friday. The test is unlikely to be interrupted by the weather, as there is a 0% chance of rain in Bahrain during the three days.
Following the test, F1 teams will return to the Bahrain International Circuit a week later, for the second and final Pre-Season Test ahead of the 2026 F1 season. This will take place from February 18-20 and will follow the same time schedule as the first test.
This year, only the final hour of the first F1 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain will be broadcast live for the fans to see. Viewers can find live timings and updates during the rest of the day on the official F1 website.
By the end of the second test in Bahrain, all F1 teams will have competed a total of 9 days of testing, except for Williams, who were not in Barcelona. All other teams got an additional three days of testing in Spain during the private five-day test. This was done so that all outfits had a fair idea of their 2026 challenges ahead of the new regulations’ debut at the start of the season in Australia.
The 2026 F1 season will officially kick off with the Australian Grand Prix, scheduled from March 6-8. The first race of the year will be at the famous Albert Park Circuit on March 8.
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