The new F1 season is closing in fast! The countdown to the opening weekend in Melbourne is underway. Before the fight for the world championship properly begins, Max Verstappen and co. will spend two weeks testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. After the private shakedown in Barcelona and the first test week in Bahrain, the second test week will be broadcast live for the fans.
The second three-day winter test in Bahrain runs from 18 to 20 February. It’s standard for drivers to get one-and-a-half days of running; teams decide how to split the allocation. Fans of Max Verstappen will have to be patient: the Dutchman is scheduled for the whole Thursday, while team-mate Isack Hadjar will be in the RB22 on Wednesday.
And that’s no luxury for Verstappen’s new team-mate. During the Wednesday morning session in Bahrain, Red Bull were hampered by problems with the water system. As a result the Franco‑Algerian driver managed no more than thirteen laps. Charles Leclerc set the first benchmark of the week with a 1:33.739, while Arvid Lindblad — with 75 laps to his name — was able to bank valuable test kilometres on the Red Bull Powertrains power unit.
Line-up for Wednesday afternoon
| Team | Driver |
| McLaren | Oscar Piastri |
| Mercedes | George Russell |
| Red Bull | Isack Hadjar |
| Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton |
| Williams | Carlos Sainz |
| Racing Bulls | Liam Lawson |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso |
| Haas | Oliver Bearman |
| Audi | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| Alpine | Franco Colapinto |
| Cadillac | Valtteri Bottas |
