Ferrari looked particularly strong in pre-season testing and is considered by many to be the early favourite for 2022, raising hopes that it might be able to end a winning drought stretching back to the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.

The new Red Bull RB18 looked particularly quick, too, especially after the Austrian team introduced a major upgrade on the final day of testing in Bahrain.

The biggest question mark is over Mercedes’ pace, with Lewis Hamilton publicly claiming that the new W13 is not a race winner as things stand. However, given the immense success Mercedes has achieved since the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014, it won’t be long until the German manufacturer turns around its car – if its struggles in pre-season testing were indeed a true indicator of its current state.

McLaren was a standout team in the Barcelona test, but lost some of its luster when the field travelled to Bahrain last week – not helped by Daniel Ricciardo missing the second test with an illness later diagnosed to be COVID-19.

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix session timings in different timezones

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in local timezone

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 15:00 – 16:00 local time
• Free Practice 2: 18:00 – 19:00 local time

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 15:00 – 16:00 local time
• Qualifying: 18:00 – 19:00 local time

Sunday 20th March 2022

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in the UK/Portugal 

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 12:00 – 13:00 GMT
• Free Practice 2: 15:00 – 16:00 GMT

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 12:00 – 13:00 GMT
• Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00 GMT

Sunday 20th March 2022

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in Europe

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 13:00 – 14:00 CET
• Free Practice 2: 16:00 – 17:00 CET

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 13:00 – 14:00 CET
• Qualifying: 16:00 – 17:00 CET

Sunday 20th March 2022

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in the US

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 08:00 – 09:00 ET / 05:00 – 06:00 PT
• Free Practice 2: 11:00 – 12:00 ET / 08:00 – 09:00 PT

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 08:00 – 09:00 ET / 05:00 – 06:00 PT
• Qualifying: 11:00 – 12:00 ET / 08:00 – 09:00 PT

Sunday 20th March 2022

• Race: 11:00 ET / 08:00 PT

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in Australia

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 23:00 – 00:00¹ AEDT

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 2: 02:00 – 03:00 AEDT
• Free Practice 3: 23:00 – 00:00¹ AEDT

Sunday 20th March 2022

• Qualifying: 02:00 – 03:00 AEDT

Monday 21st March 2022

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in Japan

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 21:00 – 22:00 JST

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 2: 00:00 – 01:00 JST
• Free Practice 2: 21:00 – 22:00 JST

Sunday 20th March 2022

• Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00 JST

Monday 21st March 2022

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in Africa

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 14:00 – 15:00 SAST / 15:00 – 16:00 EAT
• Free Practice 2: 17:00 – 18:00 SAST / 18:00 – 19:00 EAT

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 14:00 – 15:00 SAST / 15:00 – 16:00 EAT
• Qualifying: 17:00 – 18:00 SAST / 18:00 – 19:00 EAT

Sunday 20th March 2022

• Race: 17:00 SAST / 18:00 EAT

2022 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in India

Friday 18th March 2022

• Free Practice 1: 17:30 – 18:30 IST
• Free Practice 2: 20:30 – 21:30 IST

Saturday 19th March 2022

• Free Practice 3: 17:30 – 18:30 IST
• Qualifying: 20:30 – 21:30 IST

Sunday 20th March 2022

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the Formula 1 schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

Pirelli tyre allocation for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Pirelli will bring the hardest tyres from its range for the season opener in Bahrain. Teams will have the option of choosing between C1, C2 and C3 compounds.