Red Bull F1 boss to miss Bahrain testing

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies will reportedly not attend pre-season testing in Bahrain because of a medical procedure.

Mekies will be absent from the circuit this week due to a minor routine medical procedure, according to reports from De Telegraaf. Next week however, the team principal is expected to return for the second stint of the three day tests.

F1 is finally waking up from its winter slumber, as all 11 teams have revealed their new livery for the upcoming season, and following a shakedown week in Barcelona, the first test week in Bahrain is about to kick off.

Teams will get a chance to try out their new setups at the Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (February 11-13), with an additional three days of testing scheduled between February 18 and February 20.

While the focus in Barcelona was on engine performance and confirming that all systems were operational behind closed doors, teams in Bahrain are now set to gradually work towards achieving competitive lap times.

GPFans have approached Red Bull for comment.

F1 testing in Bahrain begins

During the first test week, only the final hour of each session will be broadcast live. However, constant live timing updates will be available, a feature that wasn’t offered in Barcelona.

From Thursday onwards, fans will also be allowed inside the circuit and the entire second test week in Bahrain will be televised from start to finish.

While it’s still too early to gauge the teams' competitiveness, the Barcelona shakedown forged the general consensus that Mercedes appears to have not only their reliability under control, but also the performance behind them.

The Brackley-based outfit managed to complete over 500 laps across three days, and with their alleged engine loophole, they may have an extra 0.3 seconds in hand.

Red Bull also impressed in Barcelona with the durability of its DM01 engine, the first product of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains project which managed to complete 303 laps between Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

Bahrain could be a different story however, with higher temperatures and more representative conditions, these next few weeks will be a real test of all 11 teams and the new cars.

When will each driver be in the Red Bull at Bahrain test?

Driving duties will be split between Verstappen and Hadjar across the three days of the first Bahrain test.

On Wednesday February 11, Verstappen will be in the RB22 all day, while Hadjar will occupy Red Bull throughout the Thursday.

Come Friday, both drivers will split their duties, with Verstappen behind the wheel in the morning and Hadjar taking over in the afternoon.

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