Preparations are ramping up ahead of the brand new F1 season, which gets underway for real with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne on Sunday, March 16. It’s the first of 24 thrilling rounds of action that await us motorsport maniacs.
The first Grand Prix of the year may not be taking place in Bahrain as it has done in recent seasons. However, the Asian Kingdom is still receiving plenty of exposure, as the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir is staging three days of F1 testing this week.
The F1 teams and drivers have been making headlines aplenty of late. We had glitz and glamour galore at the first-ever season launch event, ‘F1 75 Live’, on February 18 at London’s O2 Arena, which was held during the usual individual team rollout events. We are looking forward to three days of intensive testing in Bahrain.
Formula 1 pre-season testing allows the teams to put their cars through their paces before the year's opening race. Since unlimited testing was banned in 2009, teams and drivers now have three short days to give their machines a run-out, collecting valuable data to help refine the cars ahead of the season opener.
All the cars may be aesthetically stunning, but can they produce the desired performance when necessary? The teams have made considerable changes to their car designs and set-up during the offseason, and they need to be thoroughly tested before the F1 fleet jets off down under for the opening race weekend.
Getty Images As well as assessing the cars' performances, pre-season testing is also vitally important for the drivers. For rookies new to the sport, such as Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto, getting crucial track time inside your new machine will prove invaluable over the coming months. Only McLaren & Aston Martin out of the 10 teams have kept an unchanged line-up since last year, so many drivers will want to jump in the cockpit and get those engines purring. Even considerable names in F1, like Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, will aim to get up to speed with their new Ferrari and Williams machinery.
During the three days of testing, the team’s engineers gather critical data, which can be evaluated and used to make vital tweaks and improvements to the cars. The sessions will also allow mechanics to fine-tune their pit stop routines before the season starts. It’s sure to be a fascinating few days in Bahrain that you won’t want to miss.
Let GOAL show you all you need to know about F1 testing this week, where and when it’s taking place and how you can keep track of all the live action.
When is F1 testing in 2025?
Getty Images This year, pre-season testing takes place over three days, between Wednesday, February 26 and Friday, February 28. Each day’s testing is scheduled to begin at 10 am and end at 7 pm (local AST time - GMT +3hrs, ET +8hrs), with an hour's break (2 pm-3 pm AST) separating the two four-hour track sessions.
Where is F1 testing 2025 taking place?
Getty Images F1 pre-season 2025 testing is being held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, which is located near the capital city of Manama. Several factors make it suitable as a testing venue. The circuit’s long straights and blend of different corner speeds provide perfect conditions, similar to those the teams will encounter regularly throughout the season. Bahrain also offers consistent dry weather, which lessens the risk of testing sessions being postponed or disrupted by rain.
Construction of the Bahrain International Circuit began late in 2002, and it would hold its first F1 Grand Prix in 2004. The inaugural race would be dominated by the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, with the German driving legend taking the chequered flag. We’ve had many memorable moments in Sakhir since then, and it is widely considered one of the best overtaking tracks in F1, which further adds to the excitement.
How to watch F1 testing 2025 in the UK
Sky Sports will broadcast comprehensive coverage of all three days of the F1 testing in Bahrain and every F1 Grand Prix in 2025. There will be live track action from 7 am until 4 pm every day on Sky Sports F1 for UK viewers. You can also watch the press conference during the lunch break each day, where selected drivers and team bosses will speak to the world's media. At 8 pm every day, a wrap-up show will feature the best of the day's highlights and interviews.
In addition to watching wall-to-wall testing coverage on Sky Sports F1 from Wednesday, February 26 to Friday, February 28, you can stream all the action on NOW and the Sky Sports app.
NOW is an instant streaming service offering access to all Sky Sports channels, every Sky Sports+ stream, and much more. It's an app, so customers can sign up and stream instantly across over 60 devices. NOW Sports Memberships also give customers access to all live Sky Sports+ streams as well as Sky Sports documentaries and selected replays and highlights on demand within your membership period.
The various membership packages are as follows:
- 6-Month Saver Membership
- Day Membership
- Flexible Month Membership
How to watch F1 testing 2025 in the US and worldwide
F1 Fans across the United States can catch all the testing action live on ESPN+, with streaming available via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Smart TV and many others. One month of ESPN+ is $11.99 (1 month (disney+/hulu) of ESPN+ is $16.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu no ads) of ESPN+ is $26.99) and 1 year costs $119.99.
Elsewhere in the world, F1 testing will be broadcast as follows:
Country | Network |
|---|---|
Italy | Sky Italia |
Netherlands | Viaplay |
Germany | Sky Deutschland |
Canada | TSN+ |
Australia | Kayo, Foxtel |
France | Canal+ |
New Zealand | Sky NZ |
Japan | Fuji TV |
MENA & Turkey | |
India | FanCode |
Watch F1 testing 2025 from anywhere with a VPN
If F1 testing isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere.
We highly recommend using NordVPN, but you can also check out our detailed VPN guide for other options.
F1 testing format
Since unlimited F1 testing was banned in 2009, the pre-season track sessions have become highly regulated, with equal driving time and conditions available to all teams and drivers. Each team will have a total testing time of just 24 hours during the three days in Bahrain, and they're only allowed to run one of their cars at a time. All 20 confirmed F1 drivers for the 2025 season will participate in testing in Bahrain. Each team’s two race drivers will share the allotted time, and some teams may even opt to run a reserve or development driver instead of being their leading season participant.