Formula 1 stars begin to arrive in Kingdom for F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2023 at BIC

Formula 1 stars begin to arrive in Kingdom for F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2023 at BIC

Formula 1’s star drivers have begun arriving in Bahrain ahead of this week’s F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2023 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The tests are scheduled for Thursday to Saturday (23 to 25 February) at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” and they will be the F1 teams’ only on-track running in their 2023 contenders ahead of the start of this year’s FIA F1 World Championship, taking place a week later from 3 to 5 March with the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023.

Among the F1 protagonists who were first to reach the Kingdom and were spotted at Bahrain International Airport were McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Alfa Romeo duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and the Haas tandem of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.

F1 team members and officials have also begun arriving in Bahrain, along with personnel from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the supporting championships.

Set-up work has also stepped up at BIC in preparation for the F1 testing, which will be held from 10am to 2pm and from 3pm to 7.30pm on all three days.

Fans will be able to watch the action on testing’s final two days on Friday and Saturday, with Thursday’s sessions being held behind closed doors.

Those who are eager to get a first glimpse of the 2023 cars in action can purchase their tickets to the tests at BD5 per day and at half the price at BD2.5 each for children aged 3 to 12. Those who bought their F1 tickets before 1 February have free access to testing for both days.

Tickets will be available at the gate or can be purchased today at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.

All those attending the F1 pre-season tests will be able to follow the action from BIC’s Main Grandstand, which overlooks the F1 Pit Lane, the teams’ garages and the circuit’s main straight. Gates will be open from midday to 7pm on both open days.

BIC is also offering a special Paddock Club experience, with incredible hospitality, cuisine and the best view in the house. Those interested in the Paddock Club package should e-mail corporate@bic.com.bh.

The F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2023 follows the three days of tests held last week at BIC in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship—the two chief feeder series to F1 featuring the top flight’s future stars.

With F1 testing taking place this week, coupled with the Beyon Money F1 Village happening at Block 338, F1 excitement is sweeping across the Kingdom and it continues to build as the race weekend approaches.