Formula 1 2025 Pre-Season testing in Bahrain: All you need to know about the event

Formula 1 is getting ready to start the new season of racing and before that, teams want to test their race machines one last time. Bahrain’s Sakhir International circuit is the testing track for these cutting-edge racing machines.

F1 2025 is the last year of the 'Turbo hybrid era' as teams are desperate to win the championship and end the era on a high. The Bahrain GP Pre-season testing will start the proceedings and through this, we can predict the outcome of this year's Formula 1 season.

F1 2025 Pre-season testing event

Date, Timings and how to watch?

This season’s pre-season testing starts February 26 to 28 and all the 10 Formula 1 teams along with their complete crew and 20 drivers will be there for the testing event. The event starts at 10 AM (12.30 PM IST) local time and completes at 7 PM (9.30 PM IST). We can watch the Testing live on F1’s official social media handles like YouTube and F1 TV.

Who is the best Rookie Drivers

The 2025 season will see 5 new drivers making their debut. Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan and Oliver Bearman are the 5 drivers. This Bahrain Testing will be important for them to set the tone for this season. It will also give us the exact results of their lap timings and what to expect from them.

What to look out for?

Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz have switched teams. So this will be a real testing ground for them to prove. Also, F1 teams want to show their upgraded machines and its capabilities before the official season starts in Australia next month.

What will be used for testing?

Flow Paints

To check airflow, teams use Fluorescent powder and light oil. Through this method, the engineers can track the airflow in the car. In the straights and the corners, the cars act differently with their airflow. After the testing, the engineers will take pictures with the paint and check the airflow in key components like wings, diffusers and underbody.

Aero Rakes

The Aero rakes are nothing but sensors lined up over one another around the front and the rear axle. They use this to compare the results they got from their wind tunnel testing to real-world performance. Other than this, F1 teams will be using different parts and check whether they are making any difference in the timing sheets.

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