F1 2025 Testing: When are Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and others driving in Bahrain?

Formula 1's on-track action for the 2025 season begins this week, with teams bringing their cars out for their first real running on Wednesday.

Every team has done a lot of simulator work and some work with older models over the winter, but this week is the first chance to see the brand new designs.

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There will be 24 hours of track time over the three days of testing in Bahrain, split into four-hour sessions – with each of the 20 drivers getting 12 hours of track time each.

However, teams do choose to split those times up in different ways. So if you're looking to find out when to see your favorite driver, we've got you covered.

When will each F1 driver be driving in pre-season testing?

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What time is F1 testing?

The first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain starts today Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 10am local time. This means a start time of 2am (ET) for those on the East Coast.

For today's start times in the rest of the United States and in some major cities and countries around the world, please see below.

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How to watch F1 pre-season testing on TV

Wednesday's pre-season testing action from the Bahrain International Circuit is set to be shown live on ESPN+ in the United States.

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Please check below to see how to watch F1 live in your country.

F1 TV Pro subscribers can also watch all of the action from Bahrain pre-season testing live in select regions.

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