Formula 1 is getting closer and closer. After many months, specifically more than 3, we can say that Formula 1 is about to start with the preseason tests. As a preamble, we come to this appointment with the 10 liveries of the cars already unveiled, some almost the same as last year and others greatly changed. In addition to this, in this 2021 season of the highest category of motorsport, two new teams are coming to F1, we are talking about Alpine (previously it was Renault) and Aston Martin. Many drivers have changed teams, some still have the same teammate, other drivers have arrived who come from the predecessor of F1, that is, Formula 2. In this piece we will talk about what awaits us during these tests of Formula 1 preseason.

First, we will talk about the driver changes and how the teams are currently made up. The reigning team, that is, Mercedes, have stayed with the same driver line-up for this year, this is the seven-time world champion - and the one who seeks to obtain his eighth title to position himself as the most successful driver in the category - Lewis Hamilton alongside with Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull unveils a driver who is categorized as one of the best when it comes to overtaking, “come-backing” and taking care of his tyres, we are talking about Sergio Perez, while the young talent of Max Verstappen will continue with the Austrian team for his sixth season. Ferrari, after a terrible 2020 season, will try to hit the ground again with its new pair of drivers, which is made up with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. To cover the seat left by the Spanish driver, McLaren decided to hire Daniel Ricciardo, with Lando Norris being his teammate. With Alpine is the two-time world champion - and no longer retired - Fernando Alonso, with Esteban Ocon as his teammate. Aston Martin also has a strong driver line-up, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll son trying to fight for the top 3 in the constructors' championship. Alpha Tauri will have the one-time Grand Prix winner Pierre Gasly with rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who comes from Formula 2. Haas has chosen to have an entirely new driver and rookie line-up, namely the Formula 2 champion, Mick Schumacher, alongside with the controversial Russian driver named Nikita Mazepin. Alfa Romeo will continue with the experienced Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Finally, Williams has chosen to continue with the same team of drivers as last year, namely George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.

If you want to know which driver will get on their respective car in the three days of the tests, click here.

As for the circuit, the pre-season tests used to be held at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, in Spain. However, the pandemic caused by the virus of Chinese origin called Covid-19 made many changes in logistics had to be carried out, a clear example was that the Australian Grand Prix had to be postponed from its usual position in the calendar, making Bahrain the leading candidate for being the host of testing and also the first race of the season two weeks later.

We must remember that this is the first time that the teams and drivers will have the opportunity to see how the car develops and what the performance is in the different circumstances that may arise during the season, that is why the tests have to be carried out in a circuit that has the three types of corners, high speed (also called fast corners), medium speed and low speed, in addition to the fact that the track must have short and long straights. This is all so that the teams gather as much information as possible before the first race of the season. Bahrain has all of the above. The main straight is long enough to test the power of its power units, in addition to the DRS, turns 5, 6 and 7 are high speed, turns 8, 9 and 10 are quite tight, while the second zone of DRS is a not a long straight but it will be very useful to the teams. As we can see, Bahrain is a very complete circuit that was very helpful to Formula 1 to be able to carry out the long-awaited tests.

As we have mentioned, the first race of the 2021 season of the category will be held on this same circuit in a period of two weeks. This means that the drivers and teams have as much information as possible to arrive well prepared on March 28th. You will find all the information corresponding to each test session in the best motorsport media, MotorLat.