With the 2022 Formula One season fast approaching, details of the schedule for pre-season testing have been announced.
Pre-season is always an exciting time for fans of the sport, as it offers the first glimpse of the cars for the upcoming season.
There are two sessions scheduled, with three days planned at each one.
The first one takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from February 23 to 25.
This will be the first appearance for the new cars in their updated specifications.
The second session is going to take place in Bahrain from March 10 to 12.
This season, the sport enters a new era, having implemented some of the biggest rule changes for many years.
With major aerodynamic changes in place to ultimately try to improve the wheel-to-wheel racing, the new cars will look completely different from those that completed in the 2021 season.
The fans, and some of the teams, will be hoping that the new regulations will level the field.
This could lead to a shakeup of the grid and potentially see some teams spring a surprise at the front to challenge the established teams.
Therefore, pre-season testing has added importance as the teams try to hit the ground running and get their new cars up to speed ready for the first race weekend.
The new season is due to start on March 18-20, when the teams return to Bahrain.
With a record-breaking 23 races scheduled for 2022, a good pre-season for the teams can set the stall out for the rest of the season.