Formula One pre-season testing is under way ahead of the 2022 season, with two sessions of three days taking place across Spain and Bahrain in February and March.
There will be no TV coverage or fan attendance at the opening testing weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, where Lewis Hamilton went quickest overall in his first appearance since that controversial finale in Abu Dhabi last year.
The 2022 season will usher in new era in Formula One with the most radical regulation changes since the 2014 season and although the session in Barcelona will be the first opportunity for teams to try out the new machinery, it is set to be a private event.
Formula One said: “The first outing is a lower key, pre-testing track session at Barcelona on 23-25 February, allowing the teams to shake down their all-new-for-’22 cars for the first time in the same place.
“However, as is traditional with teams’ pre-testing-type events, the running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya won’t feature live, race-style coverage or live timing, but will include content and best lap times at the end of each day.”
The second pre-season testing session in Bahrain ahead of the opening weekend of the season will have TV coverage and fans in attendance.
This “official” preseason test takes place in Bahrain from March 10-12, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of March 18-20.
Formula One confirmed: “Fans will be in attendance, while there will also be live TV coverage and timing.”
