F1 testing 2021: Schedule and who's driving in the Bahrain test

The Bahrain International Circuit will host the sole collective test ahead of the new season, which will take place across three days from Friday March 12 to Sunday March 14.

While most teams have already completed a shakedown with their new cars, limited to 100km, Bahrain will mark the first opportunity to give them an extensive run-out ahead of the new season.

Only three teams are entering 2021 with the same driver line-up as last year, meaning a number of drivers will spend the test getting used to their new surroundings and working with new faces, adding to the importance of the test.

Most teams will look to split running between its two race drivers for the coming season, handing them 1.5 days each in the car, but Williams has already confirmed one day of its running will be given to development driver Roy Nissany.

Some teams will look to split each day in half, allowing its drivers to run on all three days, while others are giving its drivers one full day each.

Bahrain F1 pre-season testing - Team by team

	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Mercedes	Valtteri Bottas (AM)  Lewis Hamilton (PM)	Lewis Hamilton (AM)  Valtteri Bottas (PM)	TBC
Red Bull	Max Verstappen	Sergio Perez	Sergio Perez (AM)  Max Verstappen (PM)
McLaren	Daniel Ricciardo (AM) Lando Norris (PM)	Daniel Ricciardo (AM) Lando Norris (PM)	Lando Norris (AM)  Daniel Ricciardo (PM)
Aston Martin	Sebastian Vettel (AM)  Lance Stroll (PM)	Sebastian Vettel (AM)  Lance Stroll (PM)	Lance Stroll (AM)  Sebastian Vettel (PM)
Alpine	Esteban Ocon	Fernando Alonso	Esteban Ocon (AM)  Fernando Alonso (PM)
Ferrari	Charles Leclerc (AM)  Carlos Sainz (PM)	Carlos Sainz (AM)  Charles Leclerc (PM)	TBC
AlphaTauri	Pierre Gasly (AM)  Yuki Tsunoda (PM)	Yuki Tsunoda (AM)  Pierre Gasly (PM)	Pierre Gasly (AM)  Yuki Tsunoda (PM)
Alfa Romeo	Kimi Raikkonen (AM)  Antonio Giovinazzi (PM)	Antonio Giovinazzi	Kimi Raikkonen
Haas	Mick Schumacher (AM)  Nikita Mazepin (PM)	Nikita Mazepin (AM)  Mick Schumacher (PM)	Mick Schumacher (AM)  Nikita Mazepin (PM)
Williams	Roy Nissany	Nicholas Latifi	George Russell

When are the testing sessions?

Testing last year took place over six days in Barcelona, but the freeze in the regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted F1 to cut back to three days for 2021. It means there is a more limited window to get up to speed, resolve any issues that may arise and gauge the quality of the competition.

Each day will be split into early and late sessions in Bahrain, taking place from 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 local time respectively.

It maintains the typical eight hours of on-track running that teams got per day when testing took place in Barcelona.

A new element for testing will be that it finishes after sunset, which takes place in Bahrain around 17:45 each day currently. The track is fitted with floodlights used for the grand prix, ensuring conditions will still be usable for teams and drivers.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF1000 with aero sensors

Photo by: Giorgio Piola