Formula 1 now moves to the Bahrain International Circuit for the first official pre-season test of the 2026 season. The three-day session in Sakhir follows last month’s Barcelona shakedown and represents the first opportunity for teams to complete uninterrupted running with their new cars.

Testing runs from Wednesday, 11 February to Friday, 13 February, with no restrictions on when teams can use their track time across each day. On-track action begins daily at 10:00 local time and continues until 19:00, with a mandatory one-hour lunch break scheduled between 14:00 and 15:00. This corresponds to 08:00–17:00 CET.

All 11 teams are expected to attend. Williams will finally give its FW48 a proper track debut after delays prevented the car from running in Barcelona. Aston Martin will also be aiming for more mileage after completing only limited laps during the earlier test in Spain.

Media coverage will be relatively limited, with television broadcasts restricted to the final hour of running each day. However, the Bahrain test is still expected to provide valuable early insight into the competitive order, reliability levels and technical developments ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.