F1 fans would be forgiven for starting to get excited for the 2026 season, with official pre-season testing getting underway this week at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Following a private shakedown which was completely shut off for fans in Barcelona last month, Bahrain now plays host to the teams and cars, with lap times readily available and the teams’ capabilities expected to be much more representative compared to Barcelona.
Bahrain has hosted pre-season testing consecutively since 2021, but this year is different, with two three-day testing events taking place within 10 days at the circuit, due to the new regulations that are sweeping into the sport this year.
And that means that fans’ excitement for the beginning of the hotly anticipated 2026 season may just have to be put on ice for another week, with this week’s pre-season testing event only being given an hour slot on Sky Sports F1.
For UK viewers, F1TV and Sky Sports will only show the final hour of testing (between 3-4pm GMT) on each day between February 11-13, despite the fact that the cars are on track from 7am GMT on those days.
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The first three-day testing event in Bahrain is almost entirely shut out for fans wanting to watch the cars going around the track live, with just an hour of live coverage each day.
GPFans understands that the reason for this is that F1 are testing out new systems for their broadcast coverage, and want to get the team up to speed before the second pre-season test and the start of the 2026 season.
There will be highlights available, as well as the usual interviews with drivers and team principals appearing on the F1.com website.
All of the teams on the F1 grid will likely be posting their own highlights and content on their social media channels, too, with all the official liveries and car designs having been unveiled by the time the testing event kicks off.
Overall, there will be much more content available for fans from the first pre-season testing event in Bahrain than there was coming out of Barcelona.
Yes. There will be wall-to-wall coverage of the second testing event in Bahrain between February 18-20, with the full 7am-4pm schedule being broadcast live on F1TV and Sky Sports F1 each day.
The huge overhaul in chassis and engine regulations for the 2026 season means there are three pre-season tests, instead of just one three-day test in February.
Neither team has on track experience of the new regulations, and will continue to work on their 2026 spec cars throughout the off season, so what you see on track during testing may not be what you see in Melbourne in March.
Alongside official tests in Barcelona and Bahrain, teams are allowed private shakedowns with their new cars.
Rather than performance development, these tests are about basic systems functionality and teams are unable to access any data to improve performance.
Instead these tests, particularly beneficial for new teams like Cadillac and Audi, are integral for the team to get trackside experience and the drivers a feel for the new car in the cockpit.
The 2026 F1 season gets underway on Friday, March 6, at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
FP1 will mark the first session of the season at 12:30pm local time (1:30am GMT), while qualifying will get underway on Saturday, March 7 at 4pm local time (5am GMT). Lights out for the first grand prix of the year is at 3pm local time (4am GMT).
