Revisited: F1 testing abandoned due to extreme conditions

Pre-season testing ahead of the new F1 season is just two weeks away as teams gear up for what is poised to be a highly competitive campaign.

Testing in the current F1 era is heavily restricted and teams will have just three days to put their new cars through their paces ahead of the opening round of the season.

In previous years, however, testing was far more common on the build-up to and even during the campaign.

On February 12, 2009, Ferrari, BMW and Toyota looked to get some mileage under their belt at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the official pre-season sessions.

The trio aimed to eliminate the possibility of running being disrupted by rain at a European venue.

However, they encountered a rather unusual problem that put an early end to the day of running - sandstorms.

The 2009 season was being conducted under a fresh set of technical regulations, which would see the unexpected rise of Brawn GP to the front of the pecking order.

Teams were keeping busy by learning all they could about the new cars, which is exactly what Ferrari, BMW and Toyota hoped to do in Bahrain.

However, the track is surrounded by sand and it is not uncommon for wind to lift the material and deposit it on the circuit.

But 16 years ago, the situation became much more dramatic as a fierce sandstorm coated the entire circuit.

All three teams managed just a single lap before officials red-flagged the session, bringing it to an early end.

The official pre-season testing sessions commenced the following week from Bahrain before the cars hit the track again in Barcelona in March.

Bahrain has stood as the traditional pre-season testing venue over the last handful of years and will again host testing this season from February 26 to 28.

Similar disruptions to those seen in 2009 can not be ruled out, which would be costly for all teams due to the limited test days that are on offer in the modern era.