Before racing can commence in 2013, the teams need to finish building their cars and test them. There are just 12 days of testing in this pre-season, which makes every lap crucial.
The launch schedule is:
| Team | Date | Venue |
| Lotus | 28 Jan | Enstone, UK |
| McLaren | 31 Jan | Woking, UK |
| Ferrari | 1 Feb | Maranello, Italy |
| Force India | 1 Feb | Silverstone, UK |
| Sauber | 2 Feb | Hinwil, Switzerland |
| Red Bull | 3 Feb | Milton Keynes, UK |
| Mercedes | 4 Feb | Jerez, Spain |
| Toro Rosso | 4 Feb | Jerez, Spain |
| Caterham | 5 Feb | Jerez, Spain |
| Marussia | 5 Feb | Jerez, Spain |
| Williams | 19 Feb | Barcelona, Spain |
The provisional testing schedule is:
| Dates | Venue |
| 5-8 Feb | Jerez, Spain |
| 19-22 Feb | Barcelona, Spain |
| 28 Feb – 3 March | Barcelona, Spain |
