Before the start of the season, Formula 1 will be in Bahrain for its winter tests. From February 23rd to 25th, the ten teams will have the opportunity to test their new cars on the track. Red Bull, Mercedes and Co. want to set a scent mark shortly before the start of the new season.
sport.de accompanies the start of the test drives on Thursday from 8:00 a.m. in the detailed LIVE ticker.
+++ 08:31 a.m.: Release the route again +++
Nothing happened here for almost 20 minutes. Now the Aston Martin has finally been towed away, Felipe Drugovich is back in the garage. The traffic lights are green again, we can continue. Yuki Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri is the first to drive out again.
+++ 8:30 a.m.: Russell with six rounds +++
“Back to black” is the motto at Mercedes in the new Formula 1 year. In the black painted Mercedes W14, George Russell has completed the most laps so far and has at least six laps on the tableau.
+++ 8:23 a.m .: Aston Martin not yet recovered +++
The marshals at the track are still busy recovering the wrecked AMR23 belonging to substitute driver Felipe Drugovich. Quite a false start for Sebastian Vettel’s ex-team.
+++ 8:15 a.m .: Red flags – interruption in Sakhir +++
That didn’t really take long. Felipe Drugovich comes to a standstill in his Aston Martin. In the middle of the route, the AMR23 gives up the ghost and can no longer be started. Consequence: The first interruption this morning.
+++ 8:12 a.m.: Cars on the first installation rounds +++
George Russell in the Mercedes, Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari: all the top teams were already out for a first installation round. The measuring grids on the vehicles are a familiar sight in order to be able to collect initial technical data.
+++ 8:08 a.m.: A replacement driver on duty +++
With Felipe Drugovich from Brazil, only one reserve driver is used by the teams – and that has a tricky reason: Aston Martin regular driver Lance Stroll was injured in a bicycle accident and will have to sit out this week completely.
+++ 8:00 a.m.: traffic lights to green: test drives started in 2023 +++
Exactly at 08:00 a.m. German time it starts on the Sakhir International Circuit. The first drivers have already turned onto the track. So does Niko Hülkenberg, the only German regular driver in 2023.
+++ 7:55 a.m.: Cars ready – it’s about to start +++
The teams have prepared their vehicles and are ready for the start. Finally the Red Bull can be seen in all its new splendor.
+++ 07:45: Why actually Sakhir? +++
The final test drives took place on the Bahrain International Circuit as early as 2022, where the first Grand Prix of the year will also be held a week later. The travel stress and the complete logistics between the last test and the first race weekend are therefore eliminated, and the stable weather and the well-balanced race track are also great advantages.
+++ 7:40 a.m.: Who is sitting in the cockpits? +++
All ten teams will field one car in each session. At the beginning of the three-day test drives, these ten drivers will take their places in the cockpit today:
- RedBull: Max Verstappen
- Ferrari: Carlos Sainz
- Mercedes: George Russell
- Alpine: Pierre Gasly
- McLaren: Oscar Piastri
- Alfa Romeo: Guanyouzhou
- Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich
- Hass: Niko Hulkenberg
- AlphaTauri: Yuki Tsunoda
- Williams: Alexander Albon
+++ 7:30 a.m.: Good morning from Bahrain +++
Today they finally start, the test drives for the new Formula 1 season 2023. It should start in about 30 minutes, then the track will be open for the ten drivers who will contest the morning session on Thursday. The external conditions couldn’t be better. The air temperature around the Bahrain International Circuit is currently 22 degrees, and it could get up to 26 degrees today with mostly sunny weather.
+++ How do the top teams in Formula 1 present themselves? +++
In Formula 1, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari are the three big favorites for the Constructors’ World Championship. In recent weeks, the trio presented their new cars to the public.
“It feels good! The first laps with this new project after so many kilometers in the simulator … that feels good. Everything went smoothly,” said Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc after the shakedown in Maranello.
According to Mercedes superstar Lewis Hamilton, the launch is “like Christmas”. “I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to get in the car,” enthused the Briton, who wants to return to the Formula 1 throne.
World champion Max Verstappen was “very excited” on social networks to test his Red Bull car in Bahrain in the coming days. The defending champion is aiming for his third World Cup triumph in a row.
+++ Only test in Formula 1 +++
As in the previous year, the test drives in Bahrain are the only chance to put the new cars through their paces before the start of the new season on March 3rd.
The sessions will take place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (CET). A lunch break of one hour is scheduled each day.
At the beginning of March, things will get serious in Formula 1. The first race of the new season will take place on March 5th at the Bahrain International Circuit. The test drives in the desert state are therefore important for two reasons.