The new F1 season is just around the corner, and teams will head to Bahrain for pre-season testing, where fans can get a first look at the competitiveness of the teams. Once again, drivers will kick off the F1 season with pre-season tests at the Bahrain International Circuit from February 21 to 23, representing the first on-track event for 2024. This year’s tests precede the Bahrain Grand Prix by a week, scheduled from February 29 to March 2, marking the opening of the championship.
Will Red Bull be the team to beat again? Is Max Verstappen chasing a fourth consecutive world title? Or can McLaren capitalize on the momentum from 2023 and close the gap with Red Bull?
While much of the grid remains the same, there are changes in the names of two teams: AlphaTauri has changed its name to RB, and Sauber has abandoned its Alfa Romeo identity. With significant interest in the upcoming F1 season, here’s everything you need to know about pre-season testing, where fans can also get a first glimpse of the new 2024 car liveries.
When do the pre-season tests for 2024 take place?
Pre-season F1 testing in Bahrain: February 21-23, 2024
Day | Start time of the day | End of day time  |
Wednesday 21 February | 8:00 CET (10:00 local time) | 17:00 CET (19:00 local time) |
Thursday 22 February | 8:00 CET (10:00 local time) | 17:00 CET (19:00 local time) |
Friday 23 February | 8:00 CET (10:00 local time) | 17:00 CET (19:00 local time) |
For the fourth consecutive year, F1 will conduct its pre-season tests at the Bahrain International Circuit, where teams will have just three days of testing to complete their programs before the season opens on the same track.
Choosing Bahrain as the venue for pre-season tests allows F1 teams to conduct tests in more representative warm conditions, on dry and sunny tracks. Additionally, it reduces travel costs and aligns with F1’s commitment to be more environmentally sustainable, as teams no longer need to fly from pre-season tests to the location of the first Grand Prix.
However, before pre-season tests, one team also conducts a testing day – also known as a filming day – where they can cover up to 200 km to ensure everything functions correctly on the new car.
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Who drives in the pre-season tests for F1?
For 2024, the driver market has been calm, as each team has retained its lineup from the 2023 season. The most significant news of the season was the transfer of a driver, but for 2025: Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari, and this is expected to be one of many transfers for the next year, as several contracts will expire at the end of 2024.
Again this year, drivers will be on the track at different times, with one side of the garage handling the morning session while the other takes charge of the afternoon session. However, details about the lineups for testing have not been revealed yet.
What happens in F1 pre-season tests?
F1 pre-season tests offer teams the first opportunity to try different setups, components, and programs for the upcoming season. It’s not just about pure competitiveness but about gaining knowledge about the new car by completing as many laps as possible, with any setup the teams desire. It can be considered as a first free practice session, but extended throughout the day.
F1 pre-season testing on TV
Official television schedules are yet to be announced, but like last year, it is expected that F1 will broadcast the entire Bahrain test on Sky Sport F1 in Italy, as well as on F1 TV in countries where it is available.
ScuderiaFans.com will provide live commentary on the F1 pre-season tests at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Weather forecast for 2024 F1 pre-season testing session
In Bahrain, a warm and sunny climate is expected during the F1 pre-season tests in 2024, with temperatures regularly exceeding 20 degrees but not going beyond 24. Friday should be the hottest and sunniest day, while Wednesday and Thursday are forecasted to have cloudy intervals.
However, there are nine hours between the start and end of the track day, so temperatures can vary and become much cooler as the sun begins to set.
The chances of rain are also very low, making this event more representative for the opening Grand Prix compared to pre-season tests in Barcelona, as temperatures in the Spanish city rarely exceed 15 degrees in February.
How accurate are F1 pre-season tests?
These are just tests, so lap times should not be considered a definitive indicator of the race order. This is because lap times obtained in tests are blurred by multiple variables, including different car setups, fuel loads, engine modes, tire compounds, and tire usage. It’s not like in qualifying, where teams have everything at their disposal for a clean lap.
Hiding is also common in pre-season tests, referring to when a team prefers to conceal its potential to avoid showing everyone its pace before the opening race of the season. All of this can be seen in the data below, listing the fastest lap in the tests compared to the equivalent pole position time on the same circuit later in the year.
What happened between 2016 and 2019 explains why pre-season tests are not the most critical factor because Ferrari always performed well in that period, but the Scuderia did not win any of those world championships. There is also 2014 when Felipe Massa excelled in tests for Williams, but the British team earned less than half the points of the Mercedes, the constructors’ world champion that year.
However, pre-season tests still offer some indications of who might be the strongest because Red Bull has excelled in the last two years before dominating both seasons – although Charles Leclerc secured pole and victory in Bahrain in 2022.
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