Is F1 testing on TV?

Testing ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit

The 2023 Formula 1 season is almost upon us and preparation is already well underway for the new campaign.

This year sees 23 races held in a record-breaking calendar, as Max Verstappen looks to make it three in a row following back-to-back World Championship triumphs.

Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team will be targeting improvement following a disappointing 2022 season, while Ferrari will be looking to learn from last year’s mishaps and errors as they eye their first Drivers title in 16 years.

There are new faces on the grid too - such as Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries - and all 20 drivers will be itching to get back on track after a three-month break with the official pre-season test in Bahrain.

Here is everything you need to know.

When is F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain?

Pre-season testing takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir from Thursday 23 February - Saturday 25 February.

Running will take place between 7am and 4:30pm (GMT) on each of the three days. There will be an hour’s break midway through each session for lunch.

Each driver will have one-and-a-half days worth of time in the car.

The first race of the 2023 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place at the same circuit a week later, on 3-5 March.

Is F1 testing on TV?

Yes! The entirety of pre-season testing will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Pre-season testing will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom (Getty Images)

What has been said?

Fernando Alonso has voiced his displeasure at the lack of testing time available to drivers ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

The two-time world champion was speaking at the launch of Aston Martinn’s 2023 car at Silverstone last Monday night, with team-mate Lance Stroll also present.

Alonso, who joins Aston from Alpine following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, does not have long to acclimatise to his new team, with the three day testing window in Bahrain meaning the 41-year-old will have just one day-and-a-half to trial the new car.

The first race of the 2023 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place a week later.

“It is a little bit unfair”, he told a group of journalists last Monday. “This is the only sport in the world where you do one-and-a-half days practice and then you’re into a World Championship.”

Fernando Alonso is unhappy with the amount of testing time ahead of the 2023 F1 season (Getty Images)

What are the driver line-ups for 2023?

RED BULL

Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez

FERRARI

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

MERCEDES

Lewis Hamilton

George Russell

ALPINE

Esteban Ocon

Pierre Gasly

McLAREN

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

ALFA ROMEO

Valtteri Bottas

Zhou Guanyu

ASTON MARTIN

Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

HAAS

Kevin Magnussen

Nico Hulkenberg

ALPHATAURI

Yuki Tsunoda

Nyck de Vries

WILLIAMS

Alex Albon

Logan Sargeant

*italics represents new addition to the grid/change of team

Oscar Piastri is a new name on the grid with McLaren (Getty Images)

What is the 2023 F1 calendar?

ROUND 1 —BAHRAIN

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir - 3-5 March

ROUND 2 - SAUDI ARABIA

Jeddah Corniche Circuit - 17-19 March

ROUND 3 - AUSTRALIA

Albert Park, Melbourne - 31 March-2 April

ROUND 4 - AZERBAIJAN (sprint weekend)

Baku City Circuit - 28-30 April

ROUND 5 - MIAMI

Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium - 5-7 May

ROUND 6 - EMILIA ROMAGNA

Imola Circuit - 19-21 May

ROUND 7 - MONACO

Circuit de Monaco - 26-28 May

ROUND 8 - SPAIN

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - 2-4 June

ROUND 9 - CANADA

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal - 16-18 June

ROUND 10 - AUSTRIA (sprint weekend)

Red Bull Ring, Spielberg - 30 June-2 July

ROUND 11 - GREAT BRITAIN

Silverstone Circuit - 7-9 July

ROUND 12 - HUNGARY

Hungaroring, Budapest - 21-23 July

ROUND 13 - BELGIUM (sprint weekend)

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 28-30 July

ROUND 14 - NETHERLANDS

Circuit Zandvoort - 25-27 August

ROUND 15 - ITALY

Monza Circuit - 1-3 September

ROUND 16 - SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Street Circuit - 15-17 September

ROUND 17 - JAPAN

Suzuka International Racing Course - 22-24 September

ROUND 18 - QATAR (sprint weekend)

Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 6-8 October

ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)

Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 20-22 October

ROUND 20 - MEXICO

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 27-29 October

ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend)

Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 3-5 November

ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas Street Circuit - 16-18 November

ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI

Yas Marina Circuit - 24-26 November