From February 11 to 13, 2026, the first round of F1 testing will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the 2026 season. In the text, you will find the most important information about the tests, team lineups, tire selection, expectations, as well as broadcast details on Eleven Sports and F1 TV.
Read more Report from the first day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season
Formula 1 pre-season testing for 2026 takes place in three rounds. The first of these was treated as a shakedown, a private test. It took place from January 26 to 30 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Two subsequent rounds of testing will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain, which is diverse and allows for checking various aspects of the car with a guarantee of good weather. The first round of testing in Bahrain will take place from February 11 to 13, and the second from February 18 to 20. Each team can field only one car per day, so a maximum of eleven cars will be on the track at the same time.
Schedule of the first round of F1 testing in Bahrain
Each day, the tests will last a total of eight hours. The morning and afternoon sessions will each last four hours. The afternoon session will be held largely under artificial lighting at lower air temperatures, which will be more representative conditions for testing the cars. The Bahrain GP race takes place at exactly this time. There is a two-hour time difference between Poland and Bahrain. Each day, according to the time in Poland, the tests will run from 8:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 17:00. During the one-hour lunch break, press conferences will be organized at the track.
8:00 – 12:00 – morning session
13:00 – 17:00 – afternoon session
8:00 – 12:00 – morning session
13:00 – 17:00 – afternoon session
8:00 – 12:00 – morning session
13:00 – 17:00 – afternoon session
F1 team lineups for Bahrain testing ahead of the 2026 season
The table will be updated regularly, as not all teams have provided their plans for all days in advance. Two drivers on one day means that the first one will drive in the morning session and the second in the afternoon. Only the teams’ regular drivers will participate in the tests.
| Team / day | Wednesday, February 11 | Thursday, February 12 | Friday, February 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Piastri / Norris | Norris | Piastri |
| Mercedes | Russell / Antonelli | Antonelli / Russell | Russell / Antonelli |
| Red Bull | Verstappen | Hadjar | Verstappen / Hadjar |
| Ferrari | Hamilton / Leclerc | Leclerc | Hamilton |
| Williams | Sainz / Albon | Albon / Sainz | Sainz / Albon |
| Racing Bulls | Lindblad | Lawson / Lindblad | Lawson |
| Aston Martin | Stroll | Alonso | Stroll |
| Haas | Ocon | Bearman | Bearman / Ocon |
| Audi | Bortoleto / Hulkenberg | Hulkenberg / Bortoleto | Bortoleto / Hulkenberg |
| Alpine | Colapinto / Gasly | Gasly | Colapinto |
| Cadillac | Bottas / Perez | Perez / Bottas | Bottas / Perez |
Partial broadcasts of the first round of testing in Bahrain in 2026
The first tests in Bahrain will be broadcast live, but not in their entirety. Formula 1 provides a signal to broadcasters worldwide only for the last hour of each day. This means that broadcasts will be available from 16:00 to 17:00 each day.
On the Eleven Sports 1 channel, a broadcast will be available each day of testing from 15:40 to 17:35, as the station will also show a studio program before and after the last hour of testing. Each day, the tests will be commented on by Jan Olejniczak and Bartosz Budnik, and in the studio, they will be discussed by Aldona Marciniak, Robert Smoczyński, and Filip Kapica. The correspondents at the track are Mikołaj Sokół and Michał Gąsiorowski.
On the F1 TV service (Pro and Premium packages), the last hour of each day will be broadcast live. Immediately after the track sessions end, at 17:00, a live summary magazine will be aired. In F1 TV, all recordings remain permanently in the service’s database. The tests are to be commented on by Alex Jacques and Alex Brundle. There will be several people in the summary magazine.
Read more Report from the first day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season
I remind you that F1 TV packages can be purchased by clicking this link or others found in this text. By making a purchase using this link, you support the blog. You pay the normal price, and I receive a commission, which is important for the continued functioning of the blog. This year, there are no promotions before the start of the tests.
Pirelli tire availability during testing in Bahrain
During the first round of testing in Bahrain, Pirelli will provide teams only with slick tires from the hardest compounds C1, C2, and C3. Each team chose 28 sets of slick tires for themselves; in addition, everyone will receive one set of intermediate tires. During the second round of testing, all compounds will be available. Interestingly, teams can keep tires from the first round of testing for the second. This applies to both new and used sets. It is worth noting that Pirelli most often nominates the C1 – C3 compounds for the Bahrain GP, as it is a very demanding circuit for tires. Teams will have the same tires at their disposal as during a race weekend.
During the first round of testing, C3 compound tires will be marked in yellow, and C1 and C2 compound tires in white. The C1 compound will have a white stripe, and C2 only white lettering. A detailed breakdown of available tires is below. There are quite large differences in approach among the teams. The strategy of the McLaren, Aston Martin, and Cadillac teams stands out, as they have significantly fewer C3 tires and will therefore drive mainly on harder ones.
In 2025, during pre-season testing in Bahrain, the best lap time was 1:29,348 and was set by Carlos Sainza in a Williams on the second day using the C3 compound tires. A few weeks later, during the qualifying session, the fastest was Oscar Piastri in a McLaren – 1:29,841, also on C3 tires. Qualifying times were worse due to gusty winds and high temperatures. In 2026, such good results should not be expected during testing, as this year’s cars will be slower. At the Bahrain circuit, this difference should be relatively small; in my opinion, it will be about two seconds or even less.
Summary and reports from the tests on CyrkF1
On the blog, I plan to publish summaries in the evening after each testing day, and I will add links here below. If any interesting technical innovations worth a broader explanation appear, I will prepare such articles. On my social media, I will post short updates if something interesting happens.
Report from the first day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season.
Report from the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season.
Report from the third day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season.
Information about the January tests in Barcelona can be found at this link. There are also links to texts summarizing each testing day.
Read more Report from the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season
