Get to grips with Formula 1 Testing Terminology

You’ll hear plenty of buzzwords over the next couple of weeks, but what do they mean?

Published

09 FEB 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

It’s week one of the official Formula 1 Pre-Season test in Bahrain! Six days of running across two weeks are ahead of us, with Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz ready to get a better understanding of the FW48.

With testing set to begin on Wednesday 11th February, teams will be putting their new challengers through their paces ahead of the first race of the season. If you’re planning on following the action, you’ll hear and read plenty of buzzwords across the coverage – but do you know what they mean?

Don’t fret! We’ve put together a handy quick-fire glossary of some of the key terms you are likely to hear this week.

Green Track:

A significant lack of grip on track early in the day due to a lack of running. This will be extremely prominent in the opening hours of the first day, especially due to the desert surroundings of the Sakhir International Circuit.

Aero Rakes:

An airflow measuring device that attaches to an F1 car. These come in a variety of sizes, from ones that will be clearly visible, to smaller ones that will be tucked away in hard to reach places.

Alex Albon runs Aero Rakes on the FW47 in 2025 Pre-Season Testing.

Sandbagging:

A tactic used to hide the true pace of a car. Whilst no actual sandbags are used, teams might opt to run their cars well below their maximum potential.

Dirty Air:

A section of turbulent air created by a driver ahead. This makes it difficult for the car running immediately behind, despite the newer generation of cars being designed to follow at close quarters.

Flo Vis:

A bright paint used to monitor airflow patterns on a car. This gives aerodynamicists a clear visualisation of how the air is travelling as it passes across the bodywork.

Flo Vis paint in action at the 2025 Pre-Season Test.

Installation Lap:

A first lap where a driver checks the standard car functions. This is normally run at the very start of a session, where a driver pulls out of the pits and returns before opening a lap.

Correlation:

A term for ensuring real life data syncs up with the simulations. All the teams have already run thousands of kilometres with their new cars in their state-of-the-art simulators.

Learn more about the FW48

Discover what has changed on our car for the 2026 season, and how racing will be different.

Learn More

Glory Run:

A lap where a team deliberately unleashes the true power of its car. Topping the timesheets going into the season always looks good, but in years gone by some teams have pushed it all the way, by running super light and deploying as much power as possible. It’s a tactic rarely deployed in this modern era of F1.

Race Sim:

A testing programme that sees the team set the car up as if it’s a race. These will often the driver carry out long stints, as if it was a race, to get a better understanding of how their car operates in a race scenario.

Earn Exclusive Rewards

Get access to exclusive events, digital experiences, unlock collectables and get closer to the team and drivers!

Latest

Rapper Names, 2026 Regulations & Weird Traits | Team Torque | S3 E1

Team Torque, presented by Atlassian, is back for 2026! Catch up with Carbono as they get back behind the mic ahead of an all new season...

ARTICLE

—