Mercedes confirm driver line-up for opening day of Bahrain test

Mercedes have confirmed their driver line-up for day one of Formula 1's second pre-season testing event of 2022.

The team will be back on track in Bahrain on Thursday morning as they look to perfect their car ahead of the new F1 season, with the first race now less than two weeks away.

Testing will run for three days at the Bahrain International Circuit, split into six four-hour sessions, with the last coming on Saturday afternoon.

With teams only allowed to run one car at the event, the drivers will be sharing their time on track, and Mercedes are set to release their plans one day at a time.

Now, Mercedes have confirmed their plan for day one, with Lewis Hamilton set to take the wheel in the morning (07:00-11:00 GMT) before George Russell takes over in the afternoon (12:00-16:00 GMT).

Mercedes are fifth team to confirm day one plans

Mercedes are the fifth team to confirm their driver plans for day one in Bahrain and are the first team to have taken the decision to split the day in two.

Red Bull will deploy only Sergio Perez on day one, while Max Verstappen watches on from the pit lane, readying himself for a full Friday in the car.

Williams will do the same, with Alex Albon set to drive on Thursday, and so too will AlphaTauri, having chosen Pierre Gasly as their day one driver.

Haas will not be on track on Thursday morning, the team have confirmed, due to a late delivery of cargo to Bahrain. However, they hope to be on track by Thursday afternoon with test driver - and potential full-time Nikita Mazepin replacement - Pietro Fittipaldi behind the wheel.