Formula One returns to an F1 circuit for the only official pre-season testing, running in Bahrain over the next three days, a crucial opportunity for teams and drivers to gather valuable track time as technical information ahead of the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix.
Before F1 racing gets underway at the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks, officially launching the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship season, the series returns to Bahrain for three days of pre-season testing.
Starting Wednesday, action at the Bahrain International Circuit will see the new Formula 1 challengers hitting the track, split into a morning and afternoon session, six overall.
According to the rules that apply, only one car per team can be on track at a time with each team running individual programs.
Running from Wednesday through Friday will allow the outfits to assess unsimulated performance and collect valuable data through the F1 sensors for the engineers to analyze. Further, refine the car’s aerodynamics and see how the drivers adapt to the cars.
In other words, everything that influences the car’s performance under different track conditions, engine mode, tires, fuel load, etc.
Furthermore, the teams will have the chance to test the Pirelli range of homologated dry-weather tires (six compounds). Also, a squad can select up to 35 sets, of which 30 can be used over the three days.
In that regard, the tire manufacturer will debut the C6, the softest end of the range.
“It will be suited to Grands Prix run on street circuits and other tracks where their characteristics mean tires are subjected to low energy levels,” Pirelli remarks.
Reading into lap times at pre-season testing tends to mislead judgment; the focus is maximizing an entire program instead of who tops the charts.
Last week, a groundbreaking F175 season launch event reunited for the first time in the sport’s history all 10 Formula One Teams to celebrate the championship’s 75th anniversary.
