How the first Bahrain pre-season test will be broadcast this year

It was widely assumed that the initial plan was to broadcast all test days in full, but it appears that only the final hour of the first three days (15:00-16:00 GMT) will be shown live. The second set of three days will be broadcast in full.

The first test at the Bahrain International Circuit will take place from 11 to 13 February, followed by another three test days from 18 to 20 February.

These tests are accessible to media and the public. So there will still be news from the circuit, and photos and videos will surface, but to watch track action live during the first test in Bahrain, people will have to wait for the final hour of each day. For the second test, you can tune in from 7:00 GMT as scheduled, with coverage running until the end at 16:00 GMT.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can tune between 11 and 13 February from 15:00 to watch the session on Sky Sports. The past season, the sessions were also shown on Sky Sports' YouTube channel. F1 TV Pro is unavailable in the country.

Before the pre-season tests in Bahrain get underway, another test will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 26-30 January. The new cars will run behind closed doors, giving teams and drivers an initial impression of their cars’ reliability and performance on track.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the Formula 1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.

Don't forget to follow us on Spotify as well!