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Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 9, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race REUTERS/Albert Gea
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 9, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race REUTERS/Albert Gea
After an exhilarating few weeks of car launches and subsequent shakedowns, the new era of Formula One is all set to commence today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona where F1 will flag off the first pre-season testing of this year. The testing will take place over the period of three days before they head to Bahrain for the second and final testing.
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All ten teams will make themselves present for the Barcelona testing, including Alfa Romeo, who are yet to officially unveil their 2022 challenger. Hence, it is likely that the Sauber-led outfit will run a camo livery over all three days.
When will the F1 action take place?
The pit lane will open at 9:00 AM local time and the morning session will go on till 1:00 PM before the teams head for an hour lunch break. Following the break, the afternoon session will commence at around 2:00 PM and the chequered flags will come out at 6:00 PM.
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Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 7, 2021 McLaren’s Lando Norris in action during practice REUTERS/Albert Gea
Of course, the timings might fluctuate depending on the track conditions and weather conditions. It is likely that the lunch break will be shortened if there were too many interruptions on the track due to red flags or poor weather conditions in a bid to make up for the lost track time.
Hence, the primary target for F1 is to successfully complete nine hours of track time over the three days of testing.
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Where to watch the Barcelona testing?
Unfortunately, nowhere. The first pre-season testing will happen behind closed doors, which isn’t usually the case in Formula One.
Hence, there will not be live coverages or even live timings of the on-track actions. Why you might ask? Well, according to F1, the testing in Barcelona is nothing but a shakedown where the teams get up to speed with their respective 2022 challengers.
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MONTMELO, SPAIN – Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W10 during day three of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
So, fans and media, too, are barred from entering the paddock in Barcelona. While there will not be any live updates on the testing, following each day, F1 will reveal a final timing classification along with highlights and a round-up. So, at least something to look forward to for the fans.
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