until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League

Formula 1

Who is driving when in F1's 2024 Bahrain pre-season test?

5 min read

Formula 1 is finally back on track in Bahrain for the sole pre-season test before the 2024 season kicks off.

The test will take place over three days and each of the 10 teams will be running one car per day.

So who is driving for each team, when?

Here's a recap of who is driving when, from the teams that have confirmed it so far.

Red Bull

Wednesday: Max Verstappen
Thursday: Sergio Perez
Friday: Sergio Perez (AM) & Max Verstappen (PM)

World champion Max Verstappen kicks things off for the team that was so nearly completely unbeatable in 2023.

Red Bull's clearly decided against just evolving last year's dominant design and has come up with fresh thinking for its RB20. Rivals will be desperately hoping for hints from testing that it's gone off-course.

The team altered its testing plan on day two, opting to give Sergio Perez - who was due to hand over to Verstappen - the full second day in the car following time lost to a brake fire and that morning's running being shortened when a drain cover came loose.

Perez will complete the first half of the final day before handing over to Verstappen for the end of testing.

Mercedes

Wednesday: George Russell
Thursday: Lewis Hamilton
Friday: Lewis Hamilton (AM) & George Russell (PM)

A day each for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the highly awaited new Mercedes, while the pair will split Friday running.

Whether the team can course-correct after two tough years chasing a fruitless development direction will be a big topic to focus on this week.

Ferrari

Wednesday: Charles Leclerc (AM) & Carlos Sainz (PM)
Thursday: Charles Leclerc (AM) & Carlos Sainz (PM)
Friday: Carlos Sainz (AM) & Charles Leclerc (PM)

Charles Leclerc will pilot the Ferrari SF-24 on Wednesday morning with outgoing team-mate Carlos Sainz - being replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025 - finishing the day.

Ferrari announced its day two and day three line-ups as the test went on. It gave Leclerc the second morning in the car and an extra half hour after the lunch break when the morning session ended early.

Sainz then took over the car and is kicking off day three for Ferrari, with Leclerc completing the final laps in the car on Friday afternoon.

McLaren

Wednesday: Oscar Piastri (AM) & Lando Norris (PM)
Thursday: Oscar Piastri (AM) & Lando Norris (PM)
Friday: Lando Norris (PM) & Oscar Piastri (AM)

It will be split running for McLaren on all three days, with Oscar Piastri taking the mornings on day one and two.

Team-mate Lando Norris will then get to open day three after a pair of evening shifts - which means sophomore Piastri will conclude the test for the MCL38.

Aston Martin

Wednesday: Fernando Alonso (AM) & Lance Stroll (PM)
Thursday: Fernando Alonso (AM) & Lance Stroll (PM)
Friday: Lance Stroll (AM) & Fernando Alonso (PM)

Split days all through the test for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at Aston Martin.

This team was the sensation of 2023 pre-season testing, with immediate hints that it had made a massive step forward - which it proved was the case in the opening rounds. There's less of an open goal this time, so how will it start 2024?

Alpine

Wednesday: Esteban Ocon (AM) & Pierre Gasly (PM)
Thursday: Pierre Gasly (AM) & Esteban Ocon (PM)
Friday: Esteban Ocon (AM) & Pierre Gasly (PM)

Esteban Ocon will drive the new Alpine first in F1 testing before handing over to team-mate Pierre Gasly for the rest of Wednesday.

Gasly stays in the car on Thursday morning with Ocon then taking driving duties for Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Gasly will round out Alpine's test on Friday afternoon.

Williams

Wednesday: Alex Albon (AM) & Logan Sargeant (PM)
Thursday: Logan Sargeant
Friday: Alex Albon

The car that was late ran on track for the first time on Tuesday before testing, so everyone is eager to see if the gamble to unveil the car so late has been worth it. Each driver gets a full day in the car, too.

RB

Wednesday: Yuki Tsunoda (AM) & Daniel Ricciardo (PM)
Thursday: Yuki Tsunoda (AM) & Daniel Ricciardo (PM)
Friday: Daniel Ricciardo (AM) & Yuki Tsunoda (PM)

The team previously known as AlphaTauri will split running on all three days, as one of the grid's most hotly anticipated cars and team hit the track.

Sauber

Wednesday: Valtteri Bottas (AM) & Zhou Guanyu (PM)
Thursday: Zhou Guanyu (AM) & Valtteri Bottas (PM)
Friday: Valtteri Bottas (AM) & Zhou Guanyu (PM)

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu alternate half-days throughout the test for Sauber's rebranded Stake team.

It's had one of the most dramatic changes of the winter livery-wise after Alfa Romeo's exit, as it goes into two seasons under Stake/Kick branding while its behind-the-scenes transition into the Audi factory project continues.

Haas

Wednesday: Kevin Magnussen (AM) & Nico Hulkenberg (PM)
Thursday: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) & Kevin Magnussen (PM)
Friday: Kevin Magnussen (AM) & Nico Hulkenberg (PM)

Haas became the first team to announce its line-up for the test on the Thursday prior to testing.

Kevin Magnussen will be the first to sample the new VF-24 in Bahrain on Wednesday morning before handing over to Nico Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg, who shook the car down at Silverstone earlier in the month, will kick off the running on Thursday morning before handing over to Magnussen.

Magnussen will then begin the final day at the wheel before Hulkenberg takes over on Friday afternoon.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More Networks