F1 Pre-Season Testing 2023: Haas to start the proceedings in Bahrain

Haas is the very first team to reveal its driver schedule for the 2023 pre-season testing in Bahrain. Interestingly, they were also the first to announce and showcase their 2023 car on January 31, 2023. As the new F1 season approaches, every team is gearing up to test out their new cars on the track.

Pre-season testing allows teams to see how their cars run in a real-world scenario and how quick they are in comparison to others. This year, F1 will only have one test in Bahrain, from February 23 to February 25. Each day will be divided into two four-hour sessions, with one starting at 7:00 am GMT (10:00 am local time) and the other kicking off at 12:00 pm GMT (3 pm local time).

In a recent Twitter post, Haas revealed their schedule for the pre-season testing by showcasing which drivers will be out on track for the first and second sessions each day. Nico Hulkenberg will be taking the first session on the first day, followed by Kevin Magnussen. On the second day, they will swap sessions and then switch back for the final day.

After the 2022 F1 season, Haas parted ways with Mick Schumacher and signed Nico Hulkenberg. Over the past few years, the team has struggled and wants strong, experienced drivers on its roster to perform well. Although Hulkenberg doesn't have the best relationship with Kevin Magnussen, both drivers will try to work it out and help the team.

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Haas' team boss doesn't want an eleventh team on the F1 grid

Team Principal of Haas, Guenther Steiner, sees no benefit in having an 11th team in F1. For the past few months, Mario Andretti has been trying to create an F1 team and join the famed sport. In fact, he has even joined hands with Cadillac and offered an entry fee.

However, Guenther Steiner and several other team principals are against the idea of an eleventh team, simply because it would drastically dilute the prize money pot. Speaking about the Andretti-Cadillac team, Haas' team boss told Sky Sports:

"What upside is it bringing? There is just risk, no benefit. Five years ago, you could get teams for nothing, you could pick them up. Nobody wanted them and they went out of business."

Continuing with his statement, he added:

"Now, all of a sudden, everybody wants a team. But it's a lot of people that want to come in and the 10 teams which are here are all financially stable, all well set up. It's a very good environment at the moment, no one is struggling."

In a recent meeting and vote, nine out of 10 teams were against the addition of an 11th team to the sport.