Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images What happens at testing?Īs the name indicates, F1 teams are able to test their cars on the permitted days of track action and run any number of set-ups, parts and programmes they wish.
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While the Bahrain track will provide a representative comparison to the Barcelona test, allowing teams to verify its early findings, it is also hosting the season opener - meaning teams won't need to pack up and rush to the next venue in a short space of time.ĪlphaTauri driver Tsunoda was a rookie in 2021, and used Bahrain test to familiarise himself with systems and procedures The six subplots to watch in 2022 as a new F1 era beginsįor 2022 F1 will also head to the Bahrain International Circuit for the second test, rather than staying in Barcelona, again due to logistical and technical benefits.
Teams often fly new parts at short notice to the test and can minimise the travel time compared to other venues outside of Europe.Ĭonditions are also usually suitable and representative, with dry and sunny weather despite being colder than the temperatures F1 will be racing in for the majority of the season. Barcelona, the traditional venue for pre-season testing before the COVID-19 pandemic, is considered as the ideal test venue given its variety of low, medium and high speed corners plus long main straight, while its central European location makes it a short journey from all the F1 teams' bases. F1 has split the venues for both logistical and technical reasons at the request of the teams.