Official: Formula 1 sets date for winter test in Bahrain

It was already a public secret that the winter testing location would be moved, but now it is official. Formula 1 announced in a schedule on their own website that the winter tests will now take place from March 12th to 14th in Bahrain.

That is a week before the original start of the season in Australia. Because the race in Melbourne has been postponed to an unspecified time later this year, Formula 1 has decided to postpone the winter tests too.

Start of the season now almost a certainty

The winter tests will take place two weeks before the start of the season at the same location as the first race. As all teams will now be present at the Bahrain International Circuit weeks in advance, the chance that the event will be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic is reduced considerably.

The winter tests were originally scheduled to take place at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus problem in Europe, there were fears that this would be cancelled at the last minute.