Formula 1 roars back into action for 2021 with pre-season testing taking place across three days in Bahrain on 12-14 March. While most teams have already completed a shakedown with their new cars, limited to 100km, Bahrain will mark the first opportunity to give them an extensive run-out ahead of the new season.
Scuderia Ferrari is entering 2021 with the new driver line-up, meaning for Carlos Sainz it will be an important test also to get used to his new surroundings and working with new faces.
F1 pre-season testing has been moved from its most recent venue of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to the Bahrain International Circuit and takes place on 12-14 March – with the Sakhir track also hosting the 2021 opening race on 26-28 March. Testing will take place on the circuit’s grand prix track layout which will also be used for the Bahrain GP two weeks later.
Each day will offer eight hours of track action, starting at 10am local time (7am UK time), with a one-hour lunch break at 2pm local time (11am UK time). The track action will then resume at 3pm local time (12pm UK time) and run until 7pm local time (4pm UK time).
It maintains the typical eight hours of on-track running that teams got per day when testing took place in Barcelona. A new element for testing will be that it finishes after sunset, which takes place in Bahrain around 5:45pm local time each day currently. The track is fitted with floodlights used for the grand prix, ensuring conditions will still be usable for teams and drivers.
The key time to set your alarms for is the start of 2021 F1 pre-season testing, which begins at 10am local time (7am UK time) on Friday 12th March.
Friday 12th March 2021
Morning session: 7:00am-11:00am GMT (10:00pm-2:00pm local)
Afternoon session: 12:00pm-4:00pm GMT (3:00pm-7:00pm local)
Saturday 13th March 2021
Morning session: 7:00am-11:00am GMT (10:00pm-2:00pm local)
Afternoon session: 12:00pm-4:00pm GMT (3:00pm-7:00pm local)
Sunday 14th March 2021
Morning session: 7:00am-11:00am GMT (10:00pm-2:00pm local)
Afternoon session: 12:00pm-4:00pm GMT (3:00pm-7:00pm local)
Most teams will look to split running between its two race drivers for the coming season, handing them 1.5 days each in the car. Some teams will look to split each day in half, allowing its drivers to run on all three days, while others are giving its drivers one full day each.
For Scuderia Ferrari Charles Leclerc will be the first driver to officially drive the SF21, in the morning session of Friday. In the afternoon, Carlos Sainz will make his debut at the wheel of the SF21 and will continue to drive in the morning session of Saturday. Charles Leclerc will take over for the afternoon, while on Sunday Charles will hit the track in the morning session and Carlos will complete Ferrari’s pre-season testing session.
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