Bahrain F1 pre-season testing week 1: Where to watch, full schedule, what to know

The first week of Bahrain pre-season testing starts this week. Teams will take to the Bahrain International Circuit from Wednesday 11 to Friday 13 February for testing following the private shakedown in Barcelona on 26-30 January.

By the first day of testing, all teams will have unveiled their 2026 liveries. McLaren and Aston Martin are the last to reveal the designs of their machinery, with both teams hosting launch events on Monday 9 February in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Cadillac, which will join the grid at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as the 11th team, revealed its livery during the Super Bowl on Sunday 8 February.

While pre-season testing has been fully broadcast in previous years, the first three-day block in Bahrain will only be broadcast for the final hour of every day.

Here is everything you need to follow the first week of Bahrain pre-season testing live.

When is Bahrain pre-season testing week one?

Wednesday 11 February - Friday 13 February

Local time: 10:00 - 19:00
GMT: 07:00 - 16:00
CET: 08:00 - 17:00
PST: 23:00 (previous day) - 08:00
EST: 02:00 - 11:00
JST: 16:00 - 01:00 (next day)
CST (China): 15:00 - 00:00 (next day)

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

How to watch Bahrain pre-season testing week one

For the first week of testing in Bahrain, only the final hour of each day will be broadcast live via the championship's various broadcasters and F1 TV. For fans watching from the UK, they will be able to follow the action from 15:00-16:00 on Sky Sports F1.

Sky Sports F1 will also be broadcasting a Testing Wrap programme at 20:00 GMT and Ted's Testing Notebook at 20:30 GMT after each day of testing.

Throughout the full day, fans will be able to follow the Motorsport.com live blog to get updates from the track.