Have a look at the F1 2023 Bahrain pre-season testing drives, who will be driving along with the timings
As preparations for Formula One 2023 get underway, here are the driver lineups for each team for the three days of preseason testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Pre-season testing is the period of time on the track when the teams may get together and work on getting their cars ready for the forthcoming campaign.
As their preparations for the 23-race campaign get underway, all 10 teams will be in action.
F1 2023 Bahrain pre-season testing schedule, date, timings, drivers and where to watch live stream telecast
Max Verstappen, the current world champion, will be vying for his third straight victory when Red Bull unveils their RB19 after keeping its true identity a secret.
While midfield rivals Alpine, McLaren, and Aston Martin are all confident about closing the gap to the top three as the season goes on, Ferrari and Mercedes will be hoping that their winter preparations put them in contention.
F1 2023 Bahrain pre-season testing schedule
Only three days of preseason racing have been allowed for the teams this year, the second with the new generation of ground effect aerodynamic cars.
There were two reasons behind this. The teams didn’t need as much on-track time since the regulations were, at least originally, anticipated to stay the same from 2022 to 2023, the second reason is, of course, expenses and keeping things down.
On February 23 at 7 AM UK time, testing will begin.
F1 TV is one of the best F1 streaming services, as it shows every single session and race of the season, including the Bahrain testing and Sky Sports F1 is showing every session of Bahrain testing in the UK.
F1 fans in the US can watch Bahrain testing on ESPN’s suite of channels, and you don’t need a cable package to tune in.
All times UK (GMT) time
Thursday, February 23
- Session 1 – 7:00am – 11:00am
- Session 2 – 12:00pm – 4:30pm
Friday, February 24
- Session 1 – 7:00am – 11:00am
- Session 2 – 12:00pm – 4:30pm
Saturday, February 25
- Session 1 – 7:00am – 11:00am
- Session 2 – 12:00pm – 4:30pm
From Thursday morning through Saturday evening, the teams will compete at the 5.412-kilometer Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The objective of the competition is to simply get rid of any niggles, polish the car’s setup, and find some speed.
Below are the drivers for each team during the six Bahrain sessions:
Red Bull
- Thursday: Max Verstappen
- Friday: Sergio Perez (AM), Max Verstappen (PM)
- Saturday: Sergio Perez
Ferrari
- Thursday: Carlos Sainz (AM), Charles Leclerc (PM)
- Friday: Carlos Sainz (AM), Charles Leclerc (PM)
- Saturday: Charles Leclerc (AM), Carlos Sainz (PM)
Mercedes
- Thursday: George Russell (AM), Lewis Hamilton (PM)
- Friday: Lewis Hamilton (AM), George Russell (PM)
- Saturday: George Russell (AM), Lewis Hamilton (PM)
Alpine
- Thursday: Pierre Gasly (AM), Esteban Ocon (PM)
- Friday: Esteban Ocon (AM), Pierre Gasly (PM)
- Saturday: Pierre Gasly (AM), Esteban Ocon (PM)
Mc Laren
- Thursday: Oscar Piastri (AM), Lando Norris (PM)
- Friday: Lando Norris (AM), Oscar Piastri (PM)
- Saturday: Oscar Piastri (AM), Lando Norris (PM)
Alfa Romeo
- Thursday: Zhou Guanyu (AM), Valtteri Bottas (PM)
- Friday: Zhou Guanyu
- Saturday: Valtteri Bottas
Aston Martin
- Thursday: Felipe Drugovich (AM), Fernando Alonso (PM)
- Friday: TBA
- Saturday: TBA
Haas
- Thursday: Nico Hulkenberg (AM), Kevin Magnussen (PM)
- Friday: Kevin Magnussen (AM), Nico Hulkenberg (PM)
- Saturday: Nico Hulkenberg (AM), Kevin Magnussen (PM)
AlphaTauri
- Thursday: Yuki Tsunoda (AM), Nyck de Vries (PM)
- Friday: Yuki Tsunoda (AM), Nyck de Vries (PM)
- Saturday: Nyck de Vries (AM), Yuki Tsunoda (PM)
Williams
- Thursday: Alex Albon (AM), Logan Sargeant (PM)
- Friday: Logan Sargeant
- Saturday: Alex Albon