Taking over from Barcelona, Bahrain has become F1's go-to spot for winter testing thanks to its more benign, reliable weather and its central location in the Middle East, with cars then shipped off to the opening round of the season. In previous years teams would just stay in Bahrain for the season opener the following week, but due to the Ramadan the 2025 calendar has a rejigged opening leg of the season, with Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix now raising the curtains on 16 March.
This week all 10 teams receive three days at the Bahrain International Circuit - from Wednesday to Friday- to dial in their new equipment and iron out any kinks, running one car per test day. That means drivers are set to run just one day and a half each, with track time especially scarce for 2025's huge rookie class.
