Hello everyone and welcome to this Total-Motorsport live blog for the 2023 F1 pre-season test from Bahrain. We have a long day ahead of us at all 10 Formula 1 teams take to the Bahrain International Circuit to put the F1 2023 machines to the test.
F1 Testing 2023 – Live updates
While it is notoriously difficult to come to any conclusions in F1 testing given we are unaware of fuel modes, engine modes, weight of the car and time of day the laps take place, we can get a very rough idea of where each team stands.
Where is F1 2023 testing?
The 2023 F1 pre-season test will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit, which has hosted testing since the start of 2021.
A high-speed track where drivers spend over 70% of the lap at full-throttle there’s still the twisty second sector to balance the challenge.
When is F1 2023 testing?
Testing begins on Thursday 23 February, at 7:00 UK time, 10:00 local time. There’s two four-hour sessions per day, 7:00-11:00 and 12:00-16:30, UK time.
The sun sets at around 17:30 local time – Bahrain is three hours ahead of the UK – so teams will get around 90 minutes of night-time running that will best simulate conditions for the 2023 Bahrain GP.
F1 Testing 2023 Thursday Driver Line-ups
| Team | Driver (AM) | Driver (PM) |
|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen | Max Verstappen |
| Ferrari | Carlos Sainz | Charles Leclerc |
| Mercedes | George Russell | Lewis Hamilton |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly | Esteban Ocon |
| McLaren | Oscar Piastri | Lando Norris |
| Alfa Romeo | Zhou Guanyu | Valtteri Bottas |
| Aston Martin | Felipe Drugovich | Fernando Alonso |
| Haas | Nico Hulkenberg | Kevin Magnussen |
| AlphaTauri | Yuki Tsunoda | Nyck de Vries |
| Williams | Alex Albon | Logan Sargeant |
