Upcoming testing awaits in Bahrain! Official F1 Journal FIA Formula 2 testing preview

Credit: Joe Portlock

It may be a while before Formula 2 returns to racing action, but this week it will take to the circuit in Bahrain for a three-day test between Wednesday and Friday. 

Formula 2 will be next going racing in Sakhir, at the Bahrain International Circuit, and that is where the testing will take place for three days, which will help the driver's development and will constitute as part of the championship's mid-season testing for the 2025 season.

It will be important for the teams and drivers to get the running and lap times completed with only one race having taken place out of the scheduled two in 2025 so far. This was due to extreme weather cancelling the feature race in Melbourne on Grand Prix Sunday.

Joshua Durksen and AIX Racing are therefore the only race winners out of the 2025 campaign with Leonardo Fornaroli and Luke Browning being the other two to appear on the podium rostrum.

The session will be the second three-day test to take place in 2025, for the FIA Formula 2 Championship, following the three-day pre season test in Barcelona back in February.

It will be a three-day for most teams and drivers but for the Rodin Motorsport, and one of the Trident and DAMS Lucas Oil drivers, they will only be allowed to participate in two days of the three. This was in line with the FIA implementing a punishment in Melbourne, which was from their disqualification from a day of testing in February.

This could be critical for Amaury Cordeel, Alex Dunne, Max Esterson, Jak Crawford as they will miss out on track time that could be crucial to their understanding of the 2025 Formula 2 machinery. Sami Meguetounif and Kush Maini will compete in all three days according to the Feeder Series information.

Formula 2 will be testing around the Bahrain International Circuit, which is located on a desert in Bahrain's capital city Sakhir. The track itself is very familiar to Formula 2, with it appearing on every single FIA Formula 2 season calendar - since the championship re-branded from GP2 for the start of 2017.

The circuit itself has 15 corners and has a lap distance of 5.412km. Around the Bahrain International Circuit there is DRS zones and three to be exact - into turn one, turn four and turn 11. These DRS zones would provide plenty of overtaking opportunities in terms of racing but there will be none of that for this mid-season testing.

Formula 2 will be sharing the Bahrain International Circuit between Wednesday and Friday, with FIA Formula 3, as that championship will also endure mid-season testing around that circuit - before racing there in April.

Teams will have the Soft and Hard tyre compounds with them for the upcoming three days of testing!

Each day will have two sessions, with each session lasting two and a half hours each. Here are the times for the sessions:

• Day 1 Session 1 26/03: 12:30-15:00 (UK: 09:30-12:00)
• Day 1 Session 2 26/03: 18:30-21:00 (UK: 15:30-18:00)
• Day 2 Session 1 27/03: 12:30-15:00 (UK: 09:30-12:00)
• Day 2 Session 2 27/03: 18:30-21:00 (UK: 15:30-18:00)
• Day 3 Session 1 28/03: 12:30-15:00 (UK: 09:30-12:00)
• Day 3 Session 2 28/03: 18:30-21:00 (UK: 15:30-18:00)

2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship: Mid Season Testing - Bahrain entry list

• 1. Leonardo Fornaroli (Italy, Invicta Racing)
• 2. Roman Stanek (Czech Republic, Invicta Racing)
• 3. Josep 'Pepe' Maria Marti (Spain, Campos Racing)
• 4. Arvid Lindblad (Great Britain, Campos Racing)
• 5. Oliver Goethe (Germany, MP Motorsport)
• 6. Richard Verschoor (Netherlands, MP Motorsport)
• 7. Luke Browning (Great Britain, Hitech TGR)
• 8. Dino Beganovic (Sweden, Hitech TGR)
• 9. Sebastian Montoya (Colombia, Prema Racing)
• 10. Gabriele Mini (Italy, Prema Racing)
• 11. Jak Crawford (United States, DAMS Lucas Oil) *DAY 1 & 2 ONLY*
• 12. Kush Maini (India, DAMS Lucas Oil) 
• 14. Victor Martins (France, ART Grand Prix)
• 15. Ritomo Miyata (Japan, ART Grand Prix)
• 16. Amaury Cordeel (Belgium, Rodin Motorsport) *DAY 1 & 2 ONLY*
• 17. Alex Dunne (Republic of Ireland, Rodin Motorsport) *DAY 1 & DAY 2 ONLY*
• 20. Joshua Durksen (Paraguay, AIX Racing)
• 21. Cian Shields (Great Britain, AIX Racing)
• 22. Sami Meguetounif (France, Trident) 
• 23. Max Esterson (United States, Trident) *DAY 1 & 2 ONLY*
• 24. John Bennett (Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing)
• ​25. Rafael Villagomez (Mexico, Van Amersfoort Racing)

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal