F1 test in Bahrain: who drives and when? Driver shifts during the three days of testing in Sakhir. Here is the summary table with all the driving shifts for the three days of testing in Bahrain..

F1 Returns to the Track with Bahrain Testing
The wait is over. Formula 1 finally starts its engines for one of the most eagerly anticipated events for fans: the first pre-season testing with all the cars on the track at once. This year, it will take place from February 26 to 28, 2025, with the only three days of F1 winter testing happening in Sakhir, Bahrain, on the circuit that has hosted pre-season tests continuously since 2021.

F1 Testing, Back in Sakhir
The difference compared to previous years is in the calendar: the first race of the World Championship will not be held a few days later on the same track, located just a few kilometers from the capital Manama. Instead, Formula 1 will kick off the season – as it did before the pandemic – in Melbourne with the Australian GP on March 16. Bahrain will have to wait until the weekend of April 13, but it remains the perfect location for the end of February tests: both for climatic reasons and the presence of artificial lighting, which helps extend on-track activity even in less-than-perfect visibility conditions.

F1 Bahrain Testing: 10 Cars for 20 Drivers
The three days of testing will see drivers on track from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Italian time for all three workdays. But who will be behind the wheel of each of the ten cars involved in the Sakhir circuit? Each team will bring only one car to Bahrain, meaning the twenty drivers in the championship will need to alternate, effectively driving (in theory and barring exceptional situations) for only a day and a half (roughly 12 hours in total). This is not a rule set by the regulations, but it’s clear that teams want to give each of their two drivers roughly the same mileage to get comfortable with the car and best prepare for the season.

Below is the table (updated as official confirmations come in from the teams) summarizing the shifts for drivers at the wheel of F1 cars during the Sakhir tests.

F1 Bahrain Test Lineup
Wednesday 26
McLaren: Not confirmed
Ferrari: Not confirmed
Red Bull: Verstappen morning – Lawson afternoon
Mercedes: Antonelli morning – Russell afternoon
Aston Martin: Not confirmed
Alpine: Doohan morning – Gasly afternoon
Haas: Bearman morning – Ocon afternoon
Racing Bulls: Tsunoda morning – Hadjar afternoon
Williams: Albon morning – Sainz afternoon
Sauber: Not confirmed

Thursday 27
McLaren: Not confirmed
Ferrari: Not confirmed
Red Bull: Verstappen all day
Mercedes: Russell morning – Antonelli afternoon
Aston Martin: Not confirmed
Alpine: Gasly morning – Doohan afternoon
Haas: Ocon morning – Bearman afternoon
Racing Bulls: Tsunoda morning – Hadjar afternoon
Williams: Sainz all day
Sauber: Not confirmed

Friday 28
McLaren: Not confirmed
Ferrari: Not confirmed
Red Bull: Lawson all day
Mercedes: Antonelli morning – Russell afternoon
Aston Martin: Not confirmed
Alpine: Doohan morning – Gasly afternoon
Haas: Bearman morning – Ocon afternoon
Racing Bulls: Hadjar morning – Tsunoda afternoon
Williams: Albon all day
Sauber: Not confirmed