F1 pre-season testing is now into its third day in Bahrain, but why is it all so important for teams, engineers and drivers?

F1 Explains – the official podcast which answers your questions about the sport – tackles these questions and more in the latest episode of 2024.

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Katie Osborne has a list of listener questions, while Christian Hewgill is out on the scene at the Bahrain International Circuit to get the answers from the likes of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.

"It is like getting to play with a new toy at Christmas, but it's kind of like getting to play with a toy, and all your brothers and sisters have got toys, but you don't really know whose is the best until you've used it for a few days and then you really find out," says the Australian.

Also on hand to offer their expertise on the podcast are Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan as well as Mercedes' Communications Director Bradley Lord and McLaren Racing Director Randy Singh.

To get your questions answered you can send a question about any F1 topic to F1Explains@F1.com. The podcast team will find the best person in the paddock to give the answer.

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All episodes of F1 Explains are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcast apps. New episodes are released every Friday.