Formula 1 Winter Tests: This is what you can expect from Friday!

This Friday the winter tests for the upcoming Formula 1 season start. For three days, drivers will be able to drive their new cars around the Bahrain International Circuit. Here's what to expect from the tests.

On 12, 13 and 14 March, the winter tests for Formula 1 season 2021 will take place at Bahrain International Circuit. The 5.412-kilometre circuit has 15 corners on. This year there is no limit to the number of tyres. So the teams can't just go wild, but they do have some rules to abide by. In 2019, for example, 110 sets of tyres were allowed to be used over the whole season, including testing.

Furthermore, the different teams are only allowed to use one car per day for testing. This means that not both drivers will take to the tarmac at the same time, but that there must be alternation. The tests are divided into several sessions that will take place in the morning and afternoon. This gives the teams and the drivers a certain limit, which has to be used strategically.

Bahrain International Circuit is a circuit where the weather conditions are reasonably stable. There is a good variation of corners and straights, which makes it a good circuit to test on. The fastest laps on Bahrein were set by Verstappen and Hamilton. The Dutch driver drove a lap of 1:32.014 during a race, while the Briton only clocked 1:27.264 during qualifying.

The fastest lap in a race has been set by Pedro de la Rosa for McLaren since 2005. In the same year Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain GP.

Below is our infographic on winter testing in Bahrain: