As the sessions will take place four days before the opening of the 2023 World Championship, the Sakhir track in Bahrain is expected to be the only venue for Formula 1 pre-season testing
The FIA (International Automobile Federation) announced on Friday (8) that Formula 1's 2023 pre-season testing will be held outside Europe only, four days before the opening round of the World Championship - which should indicate that the sessions will be at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain. The body confirmed that the F1 Commission's decision was by majority vote.
The note issued by the FIA brought several important changes for the category, among them the readjustment of the budget ceiling due to inflation in Europe. On testing, the text says that "the commission decided by majority vote to update the regulations and allow pre-season testing to take place outside Europe four days before the first event of the championship."
This is an important change, since the test sessions used to be held on the European continent, except in the case of an agreement between the teams. This year, for example, there were two events: the first took place in Barcelona from February 23rd to 25th. The second was at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, from March 10 to 12.
Formula 1 has not yet defined the 2023 calendar, as well as the date for the start of pre-season testing. It is worth noting that Bahrain has a contract with the category until 2036.