F1 Winter Testing 2025: dates for three-day session in Bahrain at Sakhir circuit

F1 Winter Testing 2025: dates for three-day session in Bahrain at Sakhir circuit. Teams and drivers will be on track at Sakhir from February 26 to 28 for pre-season testing.

Anticipation for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Debut
The countdown to the 2025 F1 season has begun, marking the first time Lewis Hamilton will race for Ferrari. The presentation of the Scuderia Ferrari car is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, and the following week, drivers will hit the track for the sole collective winter testing session.

Bahrain Confirmed
Although this year’s championship will once again start in Australia – a first since 2019 – the venue for winter testing remains Sakhir in Bahrain. Barcelona was deemed too susceptible to potentially adverse weather conditions, whereas Bahrain offers guaranteed favorable conditions. The circuit is also highly comprehensive and demanding on tires, making it an excellent testing ground for evaluating new designs. For this reason, recent years have consistently seen at least one winter testing session held in the Middle East. In 2022, there was also a three-day session in Barcelona, and in 2026, there will be nine testing days divided into three sessions of three days each.

F1 Winter Testing 2025: Dates and Schedule
The three-day testing program begins on Wednesday, February 26, and concludes on Friday, February 28. Each day, teams and drivers will have eight hours of testing divided into two sessions: four hours in the morning (from 08:00 to 12:00 Italian time) and four hours in the afternoon (from 13:00 to 17:00 Italian time). Only one car per team will be allowed on track, with a maximum of ten drivers on the circuit simultaneously. Each driver will therefore have a total of 12 hours to prepare for the season opener in Melbourne on Sunday, March 16. Below is the schedule summary.

Wednesday, February 26
08:00-12:00 morning session
13:00-17:00 afternoon session