- Circuit news
Bahrain in talks to hold pre-season tests
- Circuits:
- Bahrain International Circuit
Formula One teams are discussing the possibility of testing in Bahrain prior to the 2010 season opener at the same circuit.
Track boss Martin Whitmaker told the Gulf Daily News that the talks are taking place despite rules preventing more than 15 pre-season test days. He said Bahrain could enter the frame in the event of poor weather at the European testing, which is scheduled to take place at Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona throughout February.
"If teams who want to come here can get the permission of their rivals, we would be glad to welcome them," said Whitaker. "Right now, it is still too early to say for sure; a lot of them are not even ready to run their new cars. But we are confident we could have one or two come out to Bahrain and test before the season."
Despite its distance from Europe, Bahrain has previously been used as an F1 test location due to its constant temperatures and lack of rain. However, last year when BMW, Ferrari and Toyota tested at the circuit, two of eight scheduled test days were affected by sandstorms.