While Formula 1 had an unofficial shakedown of sorts in Barcelona, the official pre-season test is set to kick off on Thursday. With new regulations coming into effect, F1 enters a new era after one of the best seasons in the sport’s history in 2021.
As was the case last year, the focus will inevitably fall on Red Bull and Mercedes, with the times of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in particular set to pique the interest of fans and experts alike. However, with both teams locked in a monumental tussle last year, the door may have been open for a team like Ferrari or McLaren to bridge the gap to the leading pair, even if they haven’t been able to leapfrog them outright.
When does the pre-season test take place?
The official pre-season test is set to take place at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain. The test will be held over three days, on March 10, 11, and 12, and will be run over a duration of nine hours.
The days will be split into two four-hour blocks with the morning and afternoon sessions being split by a one-hour lunch break.
F1 2022 Bahrain Pre-Season Test Schedule
| Date | Session | UK Time (GMT) | US Time (EDT) |
| March 10 | Morning | 7:00-11:00 | 2:00-6:00 |
| March 10 | Afternoon | 12:00-16:00 | 7:00-11:00 |
| March 11 | Morning | 7:00-11:00 | 2:00-6:00 |
| March 11 | Afternoon | 12:00-16:00 | 7:00-11:00 |
| March 12 | Morning | 7:00-11:00 | 2:00-6:00 |
| March 12 | Afternoon | 12:00-16:00 | 7:00-11:00 |
Where to watch the pre-season test in UK
The 2022 pre-season F1 test will be available to all Sky Sports F1 subscribers in the UK and Ireland. The coverage will be all-encompassing, covering all three days and six sessions along with insights from the likes of Martin Brundle and David Croft.
Apart from the coverage on Sky Sports F1, fans can also tune into the action on the F1 TV app.
Where to watch the pre-season test in the USA
Unfortunately for fans in the US, the test will not be shown on either ESPN or ABC, the two broadcasters for F1 in the country. That being said, fans will be able to use the F1 TV app to tune into the pre-season coverage.
Where to watch the Bahrain pre-season test in Australia
Much like the US, fans in Australia will not have access to live coverage or highlights of the test. While FOX and Channel 10 will cover the races the season, fans in Australia will not have access to live coverage of the pre-season test.
| Date | Session | Aus. Time (AEDT) |
| March 10 | Morning | 18:00-22:00 |
| March 10 | Afternoon | 23:00-03:00 |
| March 11 | Morning | 18:00-22:00 |
| March 11 | Afternoon | 23:00-03:00 |
| March 12 | Morning | 18:00-22:00 |
| March 12 | Afternoon | 23:00-03:00 |
Driver line-up for 2022 Bahrain pre-season test
The test will feature all ten teams, with drivers sharing the car evenly over the course of the six sessions. 19 of the 20 drivers have been confirmed to race this season with Haas driver Pietro Fittipaldi the only exception.
The American team will also start testing late, after experiencing a delay with their freight.
The full lineup of teams and drivers can be found below
| Driver | Team |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| George Russell | Mercedes |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Lando Norris | McLaren |
| Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren |
| Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
| Alex Albon | Williams |
| Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo |
| Mick Schumacher | Haas |
| Pietro Fittipaldi | Haas |
Hi there,
I think you owe me $35…
I’m an F1 Fan in Australia – I subscribed to the F1 TV after being misled by this article. That’s why you owe me $35. Or am I misinterpreting what you are saying? Turns out there is no live coverage even on the F1 TV app with a subscription.
Your wording is very misleading. “While FOX and Channel 10 will cover the races the season, fans in Australia will have to use the F1 TV app in order to follow the goings on in Bahrain.”
Turns out there is absolutely no benefit to using F1 TV. There is no live video coverage of F1 on F1 TV. Your wording above implies that the F1 TV app will provide live coverage of Bahrain (“following the goings on in Bahrain”). This is not the case. The only benefit F1 TV gives you is “Tyre History” and “Speed and Weather” and the live timing section. All other elements of live timing are free as long as you register.
There is no need for F1 TV as we cannot see live coverage anywhere.
You owe me $35.