F2 returns with pre-season testing in Bahrain

The Formula 2 Championship launches back into action at the Bahrain International Circuit this week, following on from a spectacular 2021 season that saw Oscar Piastri crowned Champion after a sensational rookie campaign.

Beginning on Wednesday, the official three-day test will give teams and drivers time to prepare ahead of the 2022 season opener, which will see the field return to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir for the first two races of a 13-round, 26-race campaign later this month.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Running between 2 – 4 March, the three days will be split into a morning and an afternoon session with a total of five hours of testing available per day. The first session of the day will run between 11.45am and 2.15pm, while the second session will start at 5.15pm and finish at 7.45pm (local time).

Teams will have the choice of Pirelli’s hard and soft compounds, with each car allocated six sets of prime and two sets of option tyres for the duration of the test.

WATCH: Relive the epic 2021 campaign

THE CHALLENGERS

All 22 drivers have already been announced for the 2022 campaign, with the new-look grid featuring a closely matched split of rookies and returnees, with 10 first-year drivers taking to the track alongside 12 established names.

This year’s line-up also features nine Formula 3 graduates, including 2021 Champion Dennis Hauger and vice-Champion Jack Doohan, who have joined PREMA Racing and Virtuosi Racing, respectively.

Ten of the 11 teams have opted to blend experience with youth this year with all but one team, Hitech Grand Prix, featuring one rookie and one returning driver. The British squad are the only side to run with two returnees, Marcus Armstrong and Jüri Vips.

READ MORE: Hauger says that any pressure put on him as F3 champion is a ‘positive’

ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire remains the youngest of the field at 18-years-old, but enters his sophomore season as the highest placed returning racer, having finished fifth in 2021. He joins six other drivers on the grid to have previously won in F2, including PREMA’s Jehan Daruvala and MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich, who have six wins between them.

Charouz Racing System rookie Cem Bölükbasi will become the first Turkish driver to compete in the second tier, with the 21-year-old representing one of 16 different nationalities on the grid.

WHERE TO FOLLOW

Live timing will be available from each session via the official website.

FIA Formula 2 Sakhir pre-season test entry list