F1 testing schedule: Team and driver start times in Barcelona

The 2022 F1 season draws closer as the first of two testing sessions in Barcelona and Bahrain, which will be followed by the first Grand Prix of the year

Formula 1 has come out of the other side after a bitter couple of months following the controversial ending to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.

Lewis Hamilton is back, Michael Masi has been removed as race director and pre-season testing will start in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Max Verstappen holds the lap record at the Circuit de Catalunya with a time of 1:18.149 set in 2021.

LIVE BLOG: Latest updates and lap times from F1 pre-season testing

The 2022 F1 season of course brings with it new rules and regulations, pushing teams to adjust their cars to capitalise on new technical innovations designed to improve competition and depth to the sport after a year dominated each week by Mercedes and Red Bull.

This week we will be taking a closer look at all 10 F1 teams, with each day allowing us to see who has adapted well and who needs to frantically work overtime to be competitive in the first race of the season in Bahrain.

The second wave of testing will switch to Bahrain on 10-12 March, with the Bahrain GP a week later from 18-20 March. But first, here are the times and schedule for the F1 teams and drivers, who will showcase their talent at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 23-25 February:

F1 testing schedule

The track opens from 8am GMT until 5pm GMT, with the first session at 8am GMT until 12pm GMT and the second at 1pm GMT until 5pm GMT. There is an hour for lunch that can be skipped to catch up on track time if it is lost due to red flags or poor weather conditions. Overall testing time is capped at nine hours per day.

Here’s a full list of the drivers’ set to appear on each day:

Wednesday morning: George Russell (Mercedes), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Robert Kubica (Alfa Romeo), Nikita Mazepin (Haas).

Wednesday afternoon: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Mick Schumacher (Haas).

Unknown: Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine

Thursday morning: Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Mick Schumacher (Haas).

Thursday afternoon: Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), Nikita Mazepin (Haas).

Unknown: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine.

Friday morning: Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), Nikita Mazepin (Haas).

Friday afternoon: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Mick Schumacher (Haas).

Unknown: Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine.