Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Pre-Season Testing

  • Women’s Test confirmed alongside Valencia Testing Dates

    Following the world-first debut ahead of Season 11 last year, the dedicated Women’s Test returns with double the track time available for up to 20 elite women drivers and all 10 Formula E Teams taking part.

    Each driver will run the current GEN3 Evo race car, as raced by official Formula E drivers and supported by the same team infrastructure.

    The initiative underscores Formula E and the FIA’s long-term commitment to accelerating diversity and equality in motorsport, from grassroots to the highest level.

    Each team is required to field at least one woman driver for the full-day session, with the option to enter two – all competing in current-season cars. The test attracts the very best talent from across world motorsport.

    Last season’s inaugural test created meaningful pathways, with five women going on to secure team roles, with three moving into permanent ongoing positions with Formula E outfits.

    We’re pleased to be returning with our second all-women’s test. Last year’s event was a landmark moment and its success has laid a foundation for what comes next. This year, with double the track time, we’re offering an even greater platform for elite women drivers to demonstrate their talent in our cutting-edge GEN3 Evo race car.  Unlike other series where women drivers have to use old or restricted machinery, they’ll be using the state-of-the-art GEN3 Evo car that accelerates 30% faster than an F1 car, just as our Championship drivers do. We’ve already seen this initiative lead to real career progression for multiple drivers, and we expect this year’s test to open even more doors.
    Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E.

    Following the success of the inaugural Formula E Women’s Test, we are delighted to be offering talented female racers another invaluable opportunity to gain experience and showcase their skills in the series. The feedback from teams and participants last year was positive, and there has already been a tremendous level of interest in next month’s test. At the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, we are committed to fostering greater diversity and equality in motorsport, and with a number of the women who tested the Formula E car last year having since gone on to establish themselves in some positions in the championship, we have no doubt that it is only a matter of time before we see one of them joining the grid.
    Pablo Martino, Head of Formula E at the FIA.

  • F1 confirms 2026 pre-season testing

    Formula 1 and the FIA have announced the dates for 2026 pre-season testing, with three tests set to take place prior to the campaign getting underway.

    Test one will be a private test and will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya between January 26th – 30th, while test two will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit between February 11th – 13th.

    The Bahrain International Circuit also hosts test three from February 18th – 20th, before the season begins in Australia on March 6th – 8th.

    It has also been confirmed in a calendar update that, following a request from the Azerbaijan promoter and relevant government stakeholders, Formula 1 and the FIA have agreed to move the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Sunday September 27th to Saturday 26th to accommodate a national day.

  • Formula E moves pre-season test

    Formula E has cancelled its Valencia pre-season test in the light of the horrific flash flood in the region and will instead head to fellow Spanish circuit Jarama.

    At least 155 people have died in Valencia and its surrounding areas since the devastating floods hit parts of Spain on Wednesday, with that total expected to rise further.

    Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo has hosted Formula E’s pre-season tests since 2017 and this year was due to host the first public outing for the Gen3 Evo car design that will be used for the next two seasons.

    But the damage to some of the circuit’s facilities – notably its main access road – and consideration for the wider situation meant it soon become clear that holding the test there was impossible.

    Its place will instead be taken by the Jarama circuit, approximately 20 miles north of Madrid.
    Running at the former Formula 1 grand prix venue, which is now primarily used for testing and national series, will still take place across four days but commence a day later, running from November 5th to 8th.

    We have all been monitoring the tragic situation in Valencia, where flash floods have devastated the region and claimed many lives. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these terrible events and we at Formula E are looking at how we can practically support the region during this awful time. Following consultation with local authorities, the FIA and our colleagues at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, we have decided not to proceed with our pre-season test in Valencia, planned for 4-7 November. While it may have been possible to go ahead logistically, it is important not to create any distraction or use valuable resources that are much better served supporting the local community. We have a number of Formula E team members who have been working on the ground in Valencia over the past week, and we want to personally thank them for everything they’ve done, and continue to do, to support the area.  The pre-season test is an important moment in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar ahead of Season 11 starting in Sao Paulo on 6-7 December, as it allows us to check the new Gen3 Evo cars for safety, and also to establish that we can safely and effectively deploy new technologies. We have also planned for the first-ever women’s test to take place during this event. Therefore, we have taken the decision to secure an alternative location, and Circuit del Jarama in Madrid will host both the FIA Formula E Official Test and the Women’s Test next week, scheduled for Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 November. The full event schedule will be confirmed in due course, as we navigate a number of logistical and operational challenges which will determine if it’s possible to move our test operations to Madrid within this timeframe. Our first thoughts are with the community of Valencia. The city has a special place in our hearts: it has been ever-present on our calendar since 2017 and we have recently moved our operations base there. It is like a second home for Formula E. We will support the community to recover from these tragic events in any way we can, and ensure that while our testing continues in Madrid, it is done with the utmost sensitivity.
    Formula E’s statement.

  • Formula E dedicates pre-season test for women

    Formula E has announced a world-first for an FIA Championship in holding a dedicated test session for women racing drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

    The test will be taking place on Thursday 7th November at Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

    The first of its kind test in the all-electric championship provides elite women racing drivers the opportunity to driver the new for Season 11 Gen3 Evo car, which is capable 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds.

    The car will also be tested during the same week by the 11 world-class race teams and 22 drivers currently competing in the series.

    Each of the race teams in the championship will be required to field at least one woman driver for the half-day test, but is encouraged to field two, who will all drive in the current-season cars.

    With all the women on track at the same time, the session creates a tangible platform for a wide pool of elite drivers who wouldn’t get otherwise an opportunity to drive machinery at this level.

    The test aims to provide the women not only with a destination but also a pathway to develop their careers and skills using current technology at its full potential.

    While at the Valencia track, drivers will take part in multiple media opportunities, including press conferences, briefings, interviews and capturing content for broadcast and social media on behalf of Formula E and their respective teams.

    We know there isn’t a simple solution for greater diversity in motorsport. If we’re going to truly give women equality, opportunity and visibility in our series, however, conditions for all need to be the same to aid their development and test themselves against those already on the starting grid. Unlike other series where women drivers have to use old or restricted machinery, they’ll be using the state-of-the-art GEN3 Evo car that accelerates 30% faster than an F1 car, just as our Championship drivers do. We also recognise that one test will not solve the longstanding issue, but we have to start somewhere, knowing there is a long way to go and making sure we’re making proactive, consistent steps that continue to make forward progress. As a motorsport with an almost-equal split of male and female fans, as well within Formula E including my Exec and Director teams, we believe it’s only right that our drivers and wider ecosystem is representative of those that follow and support the sport.
    Jeff Dodds, CEO at Formula E.

  • Bahrain to host pre-season testing

    Formula 1 and governing body the FIA have announced that the Bahrain International Circuit will be hosting three days of pre-season testing in 2025 on February 26th – 28th.

    The track has hosted pre-season testing on six separate occasions since 2009, with its consistent weather conditions, mixture of high and low speed corners, and two long straights enabling F1 teams to gather maximum data for the campaign ahead.

    Arriving on the calendar back in 2004, Bahrain was the Middle Eastern venue to host an F1 race and celebrated its 20th anniversary with the 2024 edition of the event.

    In the 20 years since the first Grand Prix the 5.41km circuit has delivered nine winners from five different teams, with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc all claiming victory from the current grid.

    The 24 round 2025 F1 season – which will mark 75 years of Formula 1 – is set to kick off with the Australian Grand Prix from March 14th – 16th and conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the weekend of December 5th – 7th, taking in trips to five of the world’s seven continents.

  • F1 Pre-Season Testing

    F1 pre-season testing has come to an end after three days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    It’s not long until we have the cars back on track, but whilst the paddock is taking a breather lets take a look at how each team fared with their new machines.

    AlphaTauri

    Total Laps – 456, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.261s (Yuki Tsunoda)

    Alpha Tauri topped the mileage charts in Bahrain as Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda complete 456 laps of Bahrain. The Italian team have more reasons to be happy as Tsunoda sets the sixth-fastest time of the whole test, and De Vries was second in mileage charts as he readies for his maiden season.

    Williams

    Total Laps – 439, Fastest Lap – 1m 32.549s (Logan Sargeant)

    With a combined total of 439 laps of Bahrain, or 2,376km Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon notched up the second-highest lap count of pre-season testing. Bar an unusual issue with the car’s electrical system, Williams’ three days of testing were trouble-free.

    Ferrari

    Total Laps – 416, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.024s (Charles Leclerc)

    The Scuderia had a positive three days, with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc occasionally finding themselves at the top of the timesheets, and matching Red Bull. They did contend with a few issues, such as bouncing and the degradation of their tyres.

    Haas

    Total Laps – 414, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.381s (Kevin Magnussen)

    Kevin Magnussen set the seventh-fastest time of testing on Friday and the Dane notched up 95 laps as the team had a smooth three days. Returnee Nico Hulkenberg also got useful mileage – a minor throttle issue on Day 1 was the only hurdle they faced in reliability.

    Red Bull

    Total Laps – 413, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.305s (Sergio Perez)

    It was a strong pre-season test for Red Bull that ended in Sergio Perez setting the fastest time of the week on the final day. They enjoyed a trouble free three days with limited reliability woes, putting them in a good position ahead of the season.

    Alfa Romeo

    Total Laps – 402, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.827s (Valtteri Bottas)

    It was a mixed pre-season for Alfa Romeo. They managed a good haul of laps, and Zhou Guanyu topping the timesheets on Day 2. But they also caused two red flags, the first when Zhou stopped at the end of the pitlane and the other when Valtteri pulled over with a power unit problem.

    Mercedes

    Total Laps – 398, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.664s (Lewis Hamilton)

    Mercedes, endured a mixed pre-season as well, as they were able to go through their programme on Day 1, George Russell stopped on track on Day 2 with a hydraulics issue. They were able to get the car fixed for Day 3, with Lewis Hamilton ending the day 2nd, although they seemed to struggle with the balance of their 2023 challenger.

    Aston Martin

    Total laps – 387, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.440s (Fernando Alonso)

    While Felipe Drugovich did an admirable job in the two sessions he drove as he stepped in for Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso was the one to watch. The Spanish driver settled in well at his new environment, with the car seemingly responding to his every request.

    Alpine

    Total Laps – 353, Fastest Lap – 1m 32.762s (Pierre Gasly)

    Alpine had a low-key three days of running in Sakhir, with both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing towards the bottom the combined timesheets. Ocon was keen to talk up the A523 as a clear step forward, with the general feeling that there is more to come.

    McLaren

    Total Laps – 312, Fastest Lap 1m 32.160s (Lando Norris)

    McLaren had another challenging pre-season in Bahrain after their brake related woes 12 months ago, with aerodynamic efficiency – or rather an apparent lack of it. Add in the need for temporary strengthening work on the front winglets between runs on Saturday, McLaren ended the test with the least mileage out of all 10 teams.

  • F3 Pre-Season Testing

    Day 1-

    Morning– Everyone was out of the garages immediately, but it was Tommy Smith who was the first to put a laptime on the board for VAR, with the Australian’s 1:51.521 was the only time on the board in the opening hour.

    With just over half an hour remaining, the track began to fill up. Nikita Bedrin was the first beneath the 1:50s, but plenty followed. Gregoire Saucy managed to better the Jenzer Motorsport driver’s time, beating it fractionally with a 1:51.155.

    Luke Browning was the busiest driver of the session, logging 29 laps in the Hitech Pulse Eight.

    The top three are: P1: Gregoire Saucy, ART Grand Prix, P2: Taylor Barnard, Jenzer Motorsport, P3: Zak O’Sullivan, PREMA Racing.

    Afternoon– A much faster start to the afternoon followed, with all teams bar Hitech Pulse-Eight immediately out on track. Gabriel Bortoleto set the early pace on a 1:49.366. It put him 0.241s ahead of Collet in P2.

    With just under an hour and a half remaining, Gabriele Mini went fastest and then beat his own time to go onto a 1:48.453.

    PREMA made a leap up on the table as the grid entered the final 45 minutes of running, Paul Aron closed to within 0.033s of Mini’s table-topping time before going P1 with a 1:47.889.

    Saucy lowered the time to beat to a 1:47,563 inside the final 10 minutes as plenty of personal best times filtered through, but the ART driver remained fastest to the chequered flag.

    The top three are: P1: Gregoire Saucy, ART Grand Prix, P2: Paul Aron, PREMA Racing, P3: Josep Maria Marti, Campos Racing.

    Day 2-

    Morning– Sophia Florsch led the way out of the garages for the morning session. Gabriele Bortoleto put in a 1:47.808 to go quickest in the opening minutes. Gregoire Saucy slotted in two-tenths behind and Taylor Barnard third.

    The ART Grand Prix driver didn’t take long to retake the top spot with a 1:46.697. But with an hour and a half to go, the only red flag of the morning session after Alejandro Garcia stopped on track at Turn 6.

    Once the track went back to green, Dino Beganovic, Grabiele Mini and Bortoleto could hardly be split in second, third and fourth places respectively.

    The top three are: P1: Gregoire Saucy ART Grand Prix, P2: Dino Beganovic PREMA Racing, P3: Gabriele Mini Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Afternoon– Hunter Yeany led the way for the afternoon running, as Josep Maria Marti topped the timing sheets early on. The second red flag of the day was shown, due to Saucy stopping out on track but the session was soon underway.

    Marti broke into the 1:49s to extend his advantage at the top, before a second red flag of the session was for Oliver Gray. The session then went back to green with an hour 45 minutes remaining.

    Times began to improve once more as the sun began to set, with Bortoleto returning to the top of the timing screens with a 1:48.388. Mini then moved back into P1 with just over half an hour left, with teammate Sebastian Montoya joining him in second.

    The top three are: P1: Gabriele Mini Hitech Pulse-Eight, P2: Gregoire Saucy ART Grand Prix, P3: Sebastian Montoya Hitech Pule-Eight.

    Day 3-

    The extended session got underway with Rafael Villagomez taking the top spot in the early laps, but it didn’t take long for Saucy to return to the summit.

    Bortoleto was next to take over P1, going just under a tenth clear of Saucy with a 1:47.417 less than an hour gone. Paul Aron moved PREMA Racing inside the top three as the first hour elapsed. Hugh Barter and Dino Beganovic were spearated by 0.004s in fourth and fifth.

    Approaching the halfway stage of the final day, ART Grand Prix kept their drivers busiest, logging over 80 laps. Saucy remained second ahead of Kaylen Frederick and Nikola Tsolov, ninth and 10th respectively.

    Race runs became the focus for everyone, with the grid logging the mileage on multiple lap runs. It continued that way as the clock ticked into the final hour. Caio Collet broke the 50 lap barrier first, with 30 minutes remaining.

    The top 3 are: P1: Gabriel Bortoleto Trident, P2: Gabriele Mini Hitech Pulse-Eight, P3: Gregoire Saucy ART Grand Prix.

  • Stroll to miss out on pre-season testing

    Aston Martin have announced that Lance Stroll will be missing out on this week’s pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, after he had an accident whilst training.

    Stroll was involved in what has been described as a “minor” incident but the injuries will rule him out of the the three-day session.

    Aston Martin also added that they expect Stroll to make a quick recovery and return to driving duties in due course, and his fitness will be assessed daily. And an update will be issued ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix which is scheduled for March 3rd to 5th.

    It is not clear whether Aston Martin will call on their reserve driver Felipe Drugovich jump in the car for testing as Stoffel Vandoorne is in Cape Town for Formula E or let Fernando Alonso do all 3 days.

    I’ve had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season. I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible.

    Stroll explaining the situation in a press release.

  • What to take away from testing

    The Official Pre-Season Test is now complete, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend. Lets take a look over the past few days and see what we can take away from it all.

    Day 1-

    Haas made the headlines. The teams freight was delayed arriving into Bahrain, but the mechanics managed to put the car together and send it out for the afternoon session giving Pietro Fittipaldi a chance in the VF22.

    Mercedes talked about the most. Coming into pre-season testing after Barcelona there was rumours some teams will change their cars to try new things and see what works, one of them being Mercedes. The Silver Arrow grabbed attention from rival teams after they revealed a no sidepod sidepod making the car slimmer.

    Alfa Romeo making up for lost time. Barcelona wasn’t good for the team, not much running making them set of on the back foot but in Bahrain on the first day they turned it round with their lap count surpassing a century.

    Ferrari & Alpha Tauri dark horses. Ferrari were very pleased with their running in Barcelona appearing to have stepped up in competitiveness. They ignored the performance aspect of testing on day one and focused on set up.

    Where as their Italian rivals was switching focus from aero tests to mechanical runs and testing softer compounds. Pierre Gasly topped the times and clocked up 103 laps.

    Day 2-

    Ferrari still a threat. The Italian team was quickest in the second day- with both Charles and Carlos pleased with the balance and how the car responds to set up changes.

    Trouble at Williams? The team was top five on the mileage charts in Barcelona but it took a dive in Bahrain. Latifi managed 12 laps on the second day where he was forced to stop due to smoke and fire coming from his breaks.

    Possible trouble at McLaren too… McLaren stood out in Barcelona after being one of if not the most reliable team but Bahrain brought them brake problems. Norris managed 59 laps on his second day and 49 on the first. To add to this, Ricciardo has been absent on track due to an illness, now covid.

    Day 3-

    Red Bull on the right path. It is a given that teams keep their cards close to their chest, especially top teams. RB waited until Saturday to show a new sidepod and waiting until the last few hours to show a front wing end plate improvement, but the world champion topped the timesheets. Obviously its only testing so there are plenty of unknowns including the programmes they are running.

    Mercedes has issues! Mercedes had a productive day after getting through an intense programme with Hamilton focused on long runs and Russell running low fuel on softer compounds. Reliability has been good for the team throughout pre-season testing, its their performance which is lacking and the porpoising.

    Ferrari still talked about. The Italian team look like their in the top two in the pecking order. The last day of testing saw them run through set-up work, qualifying runs and race simulations, the team did not run into any problems.

    Alpine getting somewhere? We have all seen that Alpine has had a shocking pre-season, but they had their “best day” on Friday and another on the final day. Alonso focused on high fuel running in the morning before running slightly lighter to get a feel for the car on soft compounds.

    My Opinion-

    Well, lots have gone on over the past couple of days for testing. It definitely seems that Ferrari and RB are top two. If Mercedes sort out their problems we could possibly seem the a bit higher than third.

    The same goes with McLaren once they have sorted out their front axle issue we could see them higher up because they have got the pace as we saw in Barcelona.

    I would say the biggest shock for me was Haas, I believe with the pace they’ve shown in testing their somewhere in the midfield! They haven’t really had any reliability issues which is good, its all eyes on how they do next week!

  • Ricciardo tests postive for Covid

    Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for Covid-19 but is set to be released in time for the opening race in Bahrain next week.

    The McLaren driver felt unwell on Wednesday, the day before pre-season testing kicked off at the Bahrain International Circuit. He was due to run all day Thursday but gave his duties to Lando Norris hoping he would feel better today (Friday) so he could run himself.

    Again he was not well enough to run today, so Lando tested for the whole day. But the team said he was returning negative covid tests, until tonight when the driver returned a positive PCR test.

    The team from Woking say he is continuing to isolate in the accordance with the local regulations as well as adding : “Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekend’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.”

    Ricciardo took to social media saying: “Better this week than next… Unfortunate to miss the test, but I’m starting to feel better. I’ll stay isolated and just focus on next weekend. Big thanks to Lando & McLaren for the heavy lifting, I owe you some beers (milk for Lando). Appreciate the well wishes from everyone.”

    This means that Norris will be driving all day Saturday for the final test day. Over the past two days he has managed just over 100 laps, struggling with brake issues.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-UYNOL3T6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • Fittipaldi to test in Bahrain

    It has been confirmed by Gene Haas, that Pietro Fittipaldi will be testing in Bahrain this week for the American team.

    This comes as Nikita Mazepin got axed from his seat on Saturday, as well as the teams sponsor. The decision to cut ties with both came in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    There are a few options in who could partner up with Mick Schumacher, one including Pietro Fittipaldi the Test and Reserve driver for the team.

    According to BBC Sport, there are three drivers on Haas’ shortlist, those being: Pietro Fittipaldi, Oscar Piastri and Jehan Daurvala.

    “There was a lot of intense criticism about the Ukraine invasion and it was just getting overwhelming,” team owner Haas told The Associated Press. “We can’t deal with all that, our other sponsors can’t deal with all that. We’re in the process of looking at several candidates, we’ll see who is available and what we have to deal with, but we’ll have somebody by Wednesday. Pietro will definitely be in it, that’s what he’s for, he’s the test driver. I think we’d obviously like to get someone with a bit more actual experience. We just have to see what’s available.”

    My Opinion-

    Obviously they needed someone in that second seat for testing and quick, that someone is Fittipaldi, so Haas have now got one thing ticked of their list. But I can understand why they are taking their time to decide for the seat for the season.

    I’ve seen lots of possibilities over the past few days from Hulkenberg to Giovinazzi to Magnussen as well as the ones already mentioned above. But with Gene Haas saying they would ‘obviously like to get someone with a bit more experience’ it does make me think that having someone with experience is good but would they prefer that over having someone who is new to F1 e.g Piastri.

  • F2 Testing Bahrain

    F2 Testing Bahrain

    Formula 2 cars are back on track, as they had their pre-season test in Bahrain before the season starts in two weeks.

    Day 1-

    AM:

    Ayumu Iwasa, lead the field out of the pits but it was Logan Sargaent who emerged in first leading, Marino Sato and Marcus Armstrong. There were three delays during the session as Juri Vips stopped on track twice, with Olli Caldwell also coming to a stop too.

    Lawson took control of the session setting a 1:44.522, ahead of Drugovich. Rookie’s Iwasa and Cem Bolukbasi posted the most laps with 26 each.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Liam LawsonCarlin1:44.52222
    2Felipe DrugovichMP Motorsport1:44.91025
    3Logan SargeantCarlin1:45.01022
    4Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing1:45.10323
    5Jack DoohanVirtuosi Racing1:45.18221
    Top 5 Morning Session

    PM:

    Drugovich returned to the front of the order at the beginning of the afternoon session setting a 1:43.831. After two red flags, one each for Vips and Bolukbasi, Lawson returned to the top.

    The timesheet got a reshuffle as PREMA went on a set of fast laps, with Daruvala lapped a 1:42.074, but it was Williams who split the two PREMA’s. Ralph Boschung set the most laps in the afternoon with 38 to his name.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing1:42.07425
    2Calan WilliamsTrident1:42.59031
    3Dennis HaugerPREMA Racing1:42.59025
    4Liam LawsonCarlin1:43.47831
    5Logan SargeantCarlin1:43.48331
    Top 5 Afternoon Session

    Day 2-

    AM:

    After Vips had a stop start opening day, he took to track on the second and led a long-run focused morning. He was the only driver to break the 1m 47s barrier ending with a healthy 0.526s over second place.

    The order remained consistent throughout the morning with six drivers totting up more than 40 laps each, including Fittipaldi, Williams, Sargeant and Vesi who all made the top 10.

    There were 3 red flag during the session Amaury Cordeel came to a stop twice on track, as well as Ayumu Iwasa at turn 2.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Juri VipsHiTech Grand Prix1:46.70523
    2Richard VerschoorTrident1:47.23122
    3Cem BolukbasiCharouz Racing System1:47.68833
    4Enzo FittipaldiCharouz Racing System1:48.88941
    5 Jake HughesVan Amersfoort Racing1:48.90934
    Top 5 Morning Session

    PM:

    The afternoon was aimed to lay down some fast times but the session was interrupted early on as Marcus Armstrong clipped the barriers at Turn 8. Once the session resumed, Drugovich posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:42.907.

    Carlin’s new line up, took further chunks out of the quickest time as Sargeant put a 1:42.144 on the board. Boschung then replaced them at the top but Lawson didn’t let him stay there long.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Liam LawsonCarlin1:41.62320
    2Ralph BoschungCampos Racing1:42.09620
    3Theo PourchaireART Grand Prix1:42.09625
    4Logan SargeantCarlin1:42.13326
    5Jack DoohanVirtuosi Racing1:42.14422
    Top 5 Afternoon Session

    Day 3-

    AM:

    The morning session saw teams performing long runs to get their final preparations before the opening race. Two of the three drivers to post fewer than 30 laps were at the top of the leaderboard, being the MP pair. Theo Pourchaire was the driver who set the most laps, racking up 56 in total.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Felipe DrugovichMP Motorsport1:44.91124
    2Clement NovalakMP Motorsport1:45.88322
    3Juri VipsHiTech Grand Prix1:45.97850
    4Liam LawsonCarlin1:46.11446
    5Logan SargeantCarlin1:46.76145
    Top 5 Morning Session

    The afternoon session, was cancelled due to a sandstorm which made the visibility low. But Formula 2 is back in two weeks for the season opener in Bahrain

  • F3 Testing Bahrain

    F3 Testing Bahrain

    Formula 3 returned to the Bahrain International Circuit, as a new-look field featuring 15 rookies headed out on track with their first lot of action of the year.

    Day 1-

    AM:

    Roman Stanek topped the timesheets during the opening stages, but his unrepresentative time of 2:13.030 was easily beaten by Reece Ushijima. HiTech Grand Prix’s Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar went 2nd with his teammate in 3rd.

    In the final 30 minutes of the session, Arthur Leclerc who was crowned Asian F3, champion during the off-season replaced Ushijima at the top with a 1:48.005. Maloney went second shortly after, while Ushijima managed to hold on to third.

    Enzo Trulli brought the session to slight stop as the Carlin driver stopped on track due to an engine issue just minuted before the chequered flag. MP duo Kush Maini and Caio Collet completed the most laps in the morning session, both doing 25 each.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Arthur LeclercPREMA Racing1:48.00510
    2Zane MaloneyTrident1:48.0188
    3Reece UshijimaVan Amersfoort Racing1:48.03516
    4Isack HadjarHiTech Grand Prix1:48.08912
    5Kaylen FrederickHiTech Grand Prix1:48.12814
    Top 5 Morning Session

    PM:

    Caio Collet, went first and was followed by Ayrton Simmons, but as the laps got more competitive, rookie Gregoire Saucy jumped to the top with a 1:48.045 ahead of Francesco Pizzi and Jak Crawford.

    There were only two red flags during the session, the first being caused by Stanek who stopped at Turn 8, and the second by Patrick Pasma, in the final few minutes at Turn 7.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Zane MaloneyTrident1:47.61423
    2Williams AlataloJenzer Motorsport1:47.78324
    3Jak CrawfordPREMA Racing1:47.79934
    4Roman Stanek Trident1:47.85421
    5Franco ColapintoVan Amersfoort Racing1:47.94329
    Top 5 Afternoon Session

    Day 2-

    AM:

    Martins set the benchmark at 1:47.602 ahead of Edgar in the early stages of a hot morning. The Alpine junior, remained up front for the majority of the session, but his time was eventually beat by Isack Hadjar who went 0.086s.

    ART driver Gregoire Saucy, put in the most laps this session, completing 45 runs overall.

    PositionDriversTeamsLaptimeLaps
    1Isack HadjarHiTech Grand Prix1:47.51630
    2Victor MartinsART Grand Prix1:47.60243
    3Jonny EdgarTrident1:47.62930
    4Gregoire SaucyART Grand Prix1:47.80445
    5Juan Manuel CorreaART Grand Prix1:47.83443
    Top 5 Morning Session

    PM:

    The afternoon session of Day 2 was a mix of long runs and fast laps as the session began in hot condition but then cooled as the session went on. Francesco Pizzi knocked his teammate of the top spot, but he didn’t remain there for long as Franco Colapinto and Olli Bearman each enjoyed spells in first.

    But it was Martins, who took control of the session as he out in a 1:48.250. Edgar was the busiest in the afternoon as he completed 43 laps before a minor collision between Ido Cohen and Correa brought out a red flag.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Victor MartinsART Grand Prix1:48.25036
    2Roman StanekTrident1:48.37934
    3Isack HadjarHiTech Grand Prix1:48.49038
    4Gregoire SaucyART Grand Prix1:48.62237
    5Alexander SmolyarMP Motorsport1:48.69734
    Top 5 Afternoon Session

    Day 3-

    AM:

    All cars headed out to an cloudy and humid track, but it was Hadjar who led the field and the mileage. The Red Bull backed driver ended the session with a 0.381s gap to 2nd.

    The only red flag of the session came because of Kaylen Frederick stopping at Turn 3.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Isack HadjarHiTech Grand Prix1:47.24744
    2Jak CrawfordPREMA Racing1:47.62836
    3Gregoire SaucyART Grand Prix1:47.71936
    4Caio ColletMP Motorsport1:47.78232
    5Alexander SmolyarMP Motorsport1:47.90931
    Top 5 Morning Session

    PM:

    The grid had to battle a sandstorm as Stanek topped the final session, setting a 1:48.182, in the final hour. But it was Colapinto who set 43 laps the most out of any of the drivers.

    There were 3 red flag during the session, with Josep Maria Marti, Laszlo Toth and Saucy all stopping on track for separate reasons.

    PositionDriverTeamLaptimeLaps
    1Roman StanekTrident1:48.18234
    2Reece UshijimaVan Amersfoort Racing1:48.79838
    3Zane MaloneyTrident1:48.80728
    4Franco ColapintoVan Amersfoort Racing1:48.97543
    5Jonny EdgarTrident1:49.16738
    Top 5 Afternoon Session

    Formula 3 will be back and returning to Bahrain for the opening round of the season from March 18th to 20th.

  • Pre-Season Barcelona

    The F1 2022 cars have finally hit the track as pre-season running in Barcelona started on Wednesday lets take a look on what has happened across the 3 days.

    Day 1-

    Morning Session-

    Leclerc set the early benchmark and then later improved, the conditions warming up after a chilly start to set the quickest lap of 1m 20,165s, the Ferrari driver went on to tally up near 80 laps and ended up three-tenths ahead of Lando Norris- the McLaren driver having improved to P2.

    The Mercedes of George Russell was therefore bumped to P3 as the 1pm deadline approached but completed 75 laps, with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in fourth. The reigning champ, enjoyed the highest lap count (8) as he finished sith behind Yuki Tsunoda in P5.

    Afternoon Session-

    Lando Norris set the fastest overall time in the opening pre-season session, Leclerc’s morning time of 1m 20.165s put him top before Norris improved to 1m 19.568s by the end of Day 1, that bumped Leclerc down to P2 and his teammate down to third.

    Every team bar Alfa Romeo and Haas completed a century of laps on the opening day.

    PositionDriverTimeLaps
    1Lando Norris1:19.951102
    2Charles Leclerc1:20.16580
    3Carlos Sainz1:20.41673
    4George Russell1:20.78477
    5Lewis Hamilton1:20.92950
    6Sebastian Vettel1:21.27652
    7Yuki Tsunoda1:21.638121
    8Fernando Alonso1:21.746127
    9Max Verstappen1:22.246147
    10Valtteri Bottas1:22.57223
    Top 10 from Day 1

    Day 2-

    Morning Session-

    Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest time of the morning on Day 2, with the benchmark being 1m 20.355s with 10 minutes remaining, eclipsing Carlos Sainz’s existing benchmark by two tenths of a second.

    Perez brought out the first red flag, having coasted to a halt at Turn 12, half an hour before lunch break, the stoppage was lifted with 15 minutes left, but Perez did not re-emerge to complete the morning session.

    Afternoon Session-

    Charles Leclerc topped the leader board on the afternoon session with a 1m 19.698s with Gasly taking P2 in which dropped McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo to P3.

    There was a second red flag of the day but first of the afternoon session, this time being Nikita Mazepin as he stopped with a damage fuel pump which caused a 15 minute stop. Sergio Perez’s afternoon was quite short as he didn’t emerge until late in the day.

    PositionDriverTimeLaps
    1Charles Leclerc1:19.68979
    2Pierre Gasly1:19.918147
    3Daniel Ricciardo1:20.288126
    4George Russell1:20.53766
    5Carlos Sainz1:20.54671
    6Sebastian Vettel1:20.78474
    7Sergio Perez1:21.43078
    8Nikita Mazepin1:21.51242
    9Alexander Albon1:21.53147
    10Guanyu Zhou1:21.88571
    Top 10 from Day 2

    Day 3-

    Morning Session-

    Mercedes topped the third morning session as George Russel led the leaderboard, with Max Verstappen in 2nd and Sebastian Vettel in 3rd, but five red flags, punctuated proceedings. All 10 cars emerged on a chilly Barcelona morning but the session was red-flagged before the hour mark when Alpine’s Alonso stopped with smoke emerging from the back of his car. Alpine then stated they would not be running again due to hydraulics issue.

    Gasly brought out the second pause when he crashed at Turn 5, causing front wing and suspension damage. Guanyu Zhou stopped in the gravel at Turn 10 after Gasly’s incident, but the session was once again stopped when he crawled to a halt on the main straight. The fifth red flag was when Vettel stopped with 5 minutes left

    Afternoon Session-

    Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the week with a 1m 19.138s as Pirelli conducted a wet weather tyre test. His team-mate then dropped with P2, with Sergio Perez jumped up the order to round of top 3.

    A few teams run into problem in which they was not able to run in the afternoon sessionWe are back in two weeks for the official pre-season test on March 10th to 12th, then set to return a week after that for the first round.

    PositionDriverTimeLaps
    1Lewis Hamilton1:19.13894
    2George Russell1:19.23366
    3Sergio Perez1:19.55674
    4Max Verstappen1:19.75659
    5Sebastian Vettel1:19.82448
    6Charles Leclerc1:19.83144
    7Carlos Sainz1:20.07292
    8Alex Albon1:20.31894
    9Nicholas Latifi1:20.69913
    10Daniel Ricciardo1:20.75086
    Top 10 from Day 3
  • F1 confirms testing dates

    F1 confirms testing dates

    Formula One has confirmed the dates for pre-season testing for 2022. The build up for the season has started already with teams announcing the car launches dates for February.

    Two sessions of three days each will be taking place ahead of the 23 race F1 campaign to enter a new era.

    Barcelona– February 23rd to 25th

    The first test of the year is more low-key than the official test. This test in Barcelona allows the team to shake down their all new 2022 cars for the first time.

    However, as is traditional with teams pre-testing-type events, the running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya won’t feature live coverage.

    It will include content and the best lap times at the end of each day of running.

    Bahrain- March 10th to 12th

    The Bahrain testing will be the Official Pre-Season Test ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of March 18th to 20th.

    This testing will be shown live with fan attendance. It will be shown on TV with live timings.

    To keep up to date with all the coverage from both tests you can find on F1.com

  • F2, F3 chosen tracks for testing

    F2, F3 chosen tracks for testing

    The dates for testing for both Formula 2 and Formula 3 have been revealed.

    Before both of the series gets underway at Sakhir on March 18th to 20th, there is a 3 day pre-season test at the circuit on the 2nd to 4th March, both series will alternate across the 3 days for each session and test. This is the third time F2 has used the country for the first bit of on track action. F3 used the track for pre-season testing back in 2020.

    After the season opener, F3 will go to Spain’s Jerez circuit on the 5th to the 6th of April for the second lot of tests, even though this venue is not on the calendar it is said to be used for set-up work and improving tyre management as the layout holds similarities to the Hungaroring.

    Formula Two holds its second round in Jeddah in late March before its in-season test the next month at Barcelona on the 12th to 14th of April, where they will be going again for round 4 of the 2022 season.

    After F2 have finished their tests, many of the teams will stay put in the paddock as F3 visits Barcelona for their 3rd test from the 15th to 16th. Out of the 11 teams in which take part in F2 and the 10 in F3, Virtuosi Racing and DAMS are the only teams to solely do F2, and Jenzer Motorsport only takes part in F3.

    Having just one pre-season test for both Formula Two and Three followed by further in-season tests was something which had been planned for the 2020 season before the coronavirus pandemic took effect and cause further disruption to the schedule.

  • Pre-season testing F1

    Finally! We are back pre-season testing started this weekend in Sakhir,Bahrain. Heres a little overview of how the weekend went…

    Day 1- It seems Daniel Ricciardo settled into McLaren very quickly, he set the fastest time of a 1:32.203 in the morning session and showed the others how the McLaren can do. He was swiftly followed by Pierre Gasly who set a 1:32.231 and who also had the most laps out of the 10 drivers. However it wasn’t so plain sailing for the Mercedes, after the pit lane opened Bottas was back in the garage after 45 minutes and only 1 lap done, they had to replace the gearbox but he managed to get back out with 40 minutes to go and went 10th fastest. The first red flag was called for the 2021 season and that was due to Charles Leclerc as he suffered a possible power unit issue.

    Onto the afternoon session and the drivers were met with a sandstorm, however that didn’t stop any of them! Verstappen drove for Red Bull all day and looked very comfortable after the morning session, he topped the timesheets with a 1:30.674. Verstappen was followed by Lando Norris he managed to put in a 1:30.889, so it seems a very consistent day for the two McLaren boys. As for Mercedes, Lewis managed to add 42 laps to their total however he was struggling for grip and pace too…

    Day 2-

    Another session of Ricciardo back on top he clocked a 1:32.215! He really has settled in to the team quickly and its so nice to see☺️. There was quite a few spins during the morning session which included a red flag and that was brought out by 7 time world champion Lewis, he spun and went into the gravel leaving himself stuck. However once things got started again returning 2 times world champion Fernando Alonso came out second with a 1:32.339, followed him was Perez with a 1:32.478. It looks like Aston Martin are not doing too good, Vettel only managed six laps before a gearbox issue…

    Now onto the afternoon, Bottas went fastest overall with a 1:30.289 and it was good to see the Mercedes back on top😌. Pierre Gasly followed close behind with a 1:30.413. However Lance Stroll finished 3rd overall even though his team mate finished at the bottom of the time sheet.

    Day 3-

    Onto the final day of testing… and Perez was on fire he topped the leader board for the morning session with a 1:30.187 and was swiftly followed by Leclerc who had a 1:30.486 and then to finish the top three was Lando Norris with a 1:30.661. The McLarens have had a pre-season testing with no issues at all over the weekend! Finally, we get to see George Russell back on track! It was his first outing over the testing weekend and he kept it steady throughout his first session and finished P8 overall…

    It was a good day and weekend for the Red Bulls! Verstappen topped the charts for the final session of the weekend with a 1:28.960. Followed him was rookie Yuki Tsunoda he finished with a 1:29.053, I have got to say i’m impressed! He has got the swing of things so quick, definitely think he is one to watch out for this season 👀 Sainz finished the top three for this afternoon with a 1:29.611, at the end of the session he had a brief moment with Raikkonen after they both touched and gone off the track… Hamilton finished 5th overall after he lost valuable time in the first hour of the session. And finally Russell finished 6th overall with a 157 laps behind him!

    And that is a wrap on pre-season testing! Two weeks to go till we are back in Bahrain 🤩. Will Mercedes be able to pull through? Can the Red Bulls keep it up and bring the fight, or have they peaked too early?