How to watch F1 2026 Bahrain testing live stream as media blackout ends

Stephen Hurrell
A cameraman during F1 pre-season testing.

F1 testing coverage will continue to be limited for the first Bahrain test.

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The final round of official F1 2026 pre-season testing takes place in Bahrain for three days from 18 February, with PlanetF1.com on the ground and broadcasters able to show testing.

Having been limited to one hour of broadcasting per day in last week’s test outings, official broadcasters will be able to show the whole three days of running live.

How to watch F1 2026 testing live from Bahrain

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Fans in the UK will be able to watch testing on Sky Sports.

Testing begins at 10am local time, which is a 7am start UK time, with four-hour morning and afternoon sessions set to take place.

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While teams and drivers will get a chance to clock as many laps as they can, testing does not usually provide a good indication of how fast the cars will actually be in the first race of the season.

Teams will get a chance to take on the 15-corner, 3.36-mile circuit in Bahrain amid big changes to the regulations this year.

Coverage for the final testing sessions will begin at 6.50am UK time with a short break for lunch before the final laps up to 4pm. There will also be a nightly testing wrap shown at 8pm.

Sky Sports will show the entirety of the third testing period on its sport channels. Sky Sports is an add-on to the standard Sky package priced at £20 a month.

PlanetF1.com will also be providing on-the-ground reporting live from Bahrain, with daily live blogs keeping fans up to date with all the action as it happens from Sakhir.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

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