As the 2026 season looms closer, Formula 1 teams are gearing up for what promises to be one of the most significant regulation transitions in the championship’s history.

With sweeping changes to aerodynamics, power units and sustainability objectives, the winter testing period has been expanded and reshaped to give teams ample track time to refine their challengers before the first race in Melbourne.

Unlike recent years – where a single, condensed test was the norm – the 2026 pre-season has consisted of three distinct test sessions, spanning two venues and totalling 11 days of track time.

Beginning with a longer, private run in Barcelona that has now concluded, and continuing with consecutive sessions in Bahrain, this schedule is designed to maximise opportunities for teams to understand the radical new machinery under real-world conditions.

The first Bahrain test runs from 11-13 February at the Bahrain International Circuit, with sessions running from 10am to 7pm local time (7am to 4pm GMT).

Unfortunately, there will be limited TV coverage, with just one hour of broadcast from 3pm GMT each day rather than the full coverage that’s been typical in recent years.

Sky Sports F1 will show highlights packages at 9pm on TV and YouTube following the sessions.

The second Bahrain test (18-20 February) will receive full broadcast coverage as teams should have ironed out initial problems by then.

Below is the official pre-season testing schedule confirmed by Formula 1 and the FIA.

Test No2 – Bahrain – 11-13 February

The first Bahrain test marks the point at which the 2026 picture starts to look clearer.

With track action open to media and fans, teams move beyond basic systems checks and start to explore performance, giving the first meaningful – if still heavily caveated – indications of competitive order.

Who is driving each day in the first Bahrain test

Test No3 – Bahrain – 18-20 February

The second and final Bahrain test is where preparation gives way to readiness.

Set-ups are refined, reliability concerns either resolved or exposed, and attention quietly shifts towards race-weekend execution, as teams leave Sakhir with their Melbourne specifications effectively locked in.