The wait to see F1 cars on track again will soon come to an end for fans as the first official Pre-Season Test ahead of the 2026 F1 season is set to commence at Bahrain from February 11. All eyes will be on track for the three-day affair as teams prepare for the debut of the 2026 technical regulations.
A unique five-day test took place behind closed doors at Barcelona from January 26-30, which was organized by the F1 teams themselves as they look to garner as much track time as possible ahead of the new 2026 regulations. This test was the first time teams got the opportunity to run their 2026 cars on track, but with no media coverage, fans were left to rely on delayed updates from social media and other outlets.
But now, we are ever closer to the first official Pre-Season Test, which will be broadcast live for the fans to watch. This will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit in the Island nation from February 11-13.
All 11 teams on the grid are expected to take part in this test, unlike Barcelona, where Williams F1 were unable to make it due to delays and failed crash tests. For the rest of the teams, they have had a long time to reflect on the data that they would have gathered from the Barcelona shakedown and return to do some more work in Bahrain.
Here is all the important information about the first F1 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain:
Everything You Need to Know About The First F1 Pre-Season Test in Bahrain
Schedule and Timings:
Wednesday, February 11
Day 1: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM local time (2:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST)
Thursday, February 12
Day 2: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (2:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST)
Friday, February 13
Day 3: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (2:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST)
According to reports, all teams will also take an unofficial lunch break from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM local time (6:00 AM – 7:00 AM EST).
Where to Watch:
As previously mentioned, the first Pre-Season Test at Bahrain will be broadcast live, unlike the Barcelona Shakedown. This will be done on various platforms depending on the region, as the official F1 broadcasters for the 2026 season are also responsible for showing the Tests in Bahrain.
The Bahrain Pre-Season Test will be broadcast live on these platforms:
- United States of America: Apple TV
- Canada: RDS
- Mexico: TUDN/Sky Sports
- United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland: Sky Sports
- Brazil: TV Globo
- France: Canal+
- Germany: Sky Germany
- Italy: Sky Italia
- India: FanCode
- Africa: SuperSport
It is important to note that the aforementioned platforms will not cover the whole day of testing. Sky Sports has already announced that it will only be covering the final hours of the test, beginning from 4:00 PM local time onwards (8:00 AM EST). This is likely to be the case for the majority of the broadcasters, but an official broadcast schedule for the event has not yet been published.
Fans can also follow live updates from the test on F1’s official website throughout the three days in Bahrain.
Following the first F1 Pre-Season Test at Bahrain, the teams will have another opportunity to test out their 2026 machines at the second Pre-Season Test at Bahrain, which is scheduled at the same Bahrain International Circuit from February 18-20. This will be the final opportunity for the 11 outfits and 22 drivers to test out everything they wish on their cars before the season officially commences.
Similar to 2025, the 2026 F1 season will kick off with the Australian Grand Prix. The famous Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne will hold the race again, with the race weekend commencing from March 6 and the first race of the year scheduled for March 8.
After what will have been a total of 11 days of testing ahead of the 2026 season, all fans and spectators will realistically have to wait until Australia to get a proper idea of what the pecking order may look like in the new regulations era that kicks off this year.
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