Teams unveil their lineups for crucial test in Bahrain ahead of new season

From Wednesday 11th February through Friday 13th February, there are three days where the teams can test their new-generation F1 cars. Most teams, with the exception of Williams completed some running in Barcelona last month. As in Spain, teams are allowed to run only one car, this means the drivers have to split the time behind the wheel.

Each test day is split into a morning and an afternoon session. Some teams choose to have one driver run in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In the schedule listed below, both drivers are listed, with the first named driving in the morning and their teammate in the afternoon. It’s also possible for teams to run a single driver for the entire day.

For Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen will kick off testing on Wednesday. His teammate, Isack Hadjar, will take over on Thursday, while the duo will split the final day. Haas will follow a similar pattern, with Esteban Ocon driving on the first day and British youngster Oliver Bearman taking over on Thursday.

At Williams and Audi, each driver will be in action across the three days. Mercedes will also do the same, with George Russell taking on two morning shifts on Wednesday and Friday.

At Aston Martin, Lance Stroll—after completing a few laps in Barcelona—will drive one more day than Fernando Alonso.

Each test day starts at 7am UK time and runs until 4pm.

Teams kicked off their preparations for what promises to be one of the most radical rule cycles in years. The first on-track running of the all-new 2026 cars took place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26–30 in what’s officially a five-day “shakedown” session.

Unlike most years, this opening test was held entirely behind closed doors with no public live timing or broad media access, as teams focused on reliability and data gathering rather than headlines. Only a limited number of cars were on track on any given day, and each team was allowed to run on just three of the five days, making mileage and programme execution the key priorities rather than outright lap times.

The atmosphere in Barcelona was more subdued than usual for pre-season testing, but there were still intriguing stories.

Several top teams, including Mercedes, Red Bull, Audi, Alpine and Haas, completed solid running and logged significant laps as they began to build understanding of the new technical regulations.

Meanwhile, Williams missed the entire test due to delays getting its new car ready, and McLaren skipped at least the first day before joining later in the week.

With no live broadcasts, much of the insight came from team releases and highlight packages, but observers noted that the early data patterns — such as Mercedes’ consistency and general reliability across the field — will be critical as the season buildup continues into the official Bahrain tests in February.