Bahrain to host 2025 F1 pre-season testing despite calendar shift

Bahrain will host Formula 1 pre-season testing next year despite its slot shift on the 2025 calendar.

As reported by Autosport, teams will use the Bahrain International Circuit to prepare for the final campaign under the current technical regulations across three days, between 26 and 28 February.

It will be the fifth year in a row that Bahrain hosts pre-season testing and the sixth time overall, though it has only been recently that it has taken on sole honours after the championship moved away from the winter conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

In comparison, Bahrain's climate is much more stable and provides more representative track and air temperatures for the testing of new cars ahead of the season, though there have been occasions where high winds have wreaked havoc by pushing high amounts of sand onto the track surface.

The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place in April next season, with the event being moved to avoid conflict with Ramadan. Saudi Arabia has also had its race moved from March, with Australia, China and Japan opening the season - Suzuka forming a triple-header with the two Middle Eastern venues.

Testing ends two weeks before practice day for the first race in Melbourne, with it likely to be the last use of the three-day format before the new technical regulations are introduced in 2026. Teams will then likely have six days' worth of running time to acclimatise to the new cars and power units before competition begins.

As part of F1's push for sustainability and its 2030 net zero goal, a "significant percentage" of freight will remain in Bahrain ahead of the grand prix.