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 shakedown in Barcelona and followed by two consecutive sessions in Bahrain, this schedule is designed to maximise opportunities for teams to understand the radical new machinery under real-world conditions.

With the Barcelona shakedown and the first Bahrain test (11-13 February) now complete – where McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes emerged as the early pace-setters, with Lando Norris setting the quickest time of the opening day – attention now turns to the second and final pre-season test.

The second Bahrain test runs from 18–20 February at the Bahrain International Circuit, with sessions running from 10am to 7pm local time (7am to 4pm GMT) each day, including a one-hour lunch break.

Unlike the first test, where coverage was restricted to just the final hour of running per day, every minute of this final test will be available to watch via F1 TV and broadcast partners such as Sky Sports F1 in the UK.

Sky Sports F1 will carry the full live broadcast from 6.50am through to 4.10pm GMT on each of the three days.

Teams have also been able to choose from all five dry-weather tyre compounds for this test, compared to only the three hardest compounds available during the first Bahrain outing.

Following the second test, teams will have around two weeks to prepare before the opening round of the season – the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, running from 6-8 March.

Below is the official schedule for the second Bahrain pre-season test, as confirmed by Formula 1 and the FIA.

How to watch the second Bahrain F1 test

Unlike the opening Bahrain test, which offered only the final hour of running on Sky Sports F1, the second and final pre-season test receives full live broadcast treatment. The morning session will be live from 06:50 to 11:05 GMT, with the afternoon session following from 11:55 to 16:10 GMT – covering all eight hours of track action each day.

Sky customers can watch on the Sky Sports F1 channel or via the Sky Sports app. For those without a Sky subscription, NOW offers instant access to all 12 Sky Sports channels on a contract-free Day or Month Membership, making it easy to dip in without committing to a full package.

A Testing Wrap programme will air at 20:00 GMT each evening, rounding up the day’s action for those who can’t follow the full sessions live.

F1 TV Pro includes live HD coverage of pre-season testing with no ad breaks, and is available in over 188 countries – though not the UK, where subscribers can use the basic Access tier for live timing data but cannot watch sessions live.

Who is driving each day in the second Bahrain test