In-season testing to return in 2014

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In the round-up: In-season testing is set to to return in 2014.

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Four in season test sessions return in expanded 2014 F1 calendar (James Allen on F1)

“The package envisages the end of the Young Drivers test session, a reduction in straight line aerodynamic test days from eight to two, while promotional days are also cut to two. In their place, the F1 teams will remain in place for a two day test with one car after four European Grands Prix. Barcelona and Silverstone will be two of the venues. Eight of the eleven teams voted for the new measures which meant that it had the majority required to pass.”

Hamilton admits braking affected race (Autosport)

“We haven’t cured anything. It has been a long period of time since Barcelona where there was big trouble there. We have picked up a couple of techniques and worked on it, which helps.”

Title fight wide open – Red Bull (BBC)

“While the points look healthy at the moment, Fernando [Alonso] we’ve seen put another strong race in here and you can’t afford for any complacency. The margins can rapidly be eroded.”

Button: Gap to front ‘massive’ (Sky)

“We did a one-stop, a few cars did and they made it work, but they did prime and then option which I think was a good way of doing it. The problem for me was on my option run at the start of the race, everyone came out and was overtaking me, so it was a bit messy for me.”

McLaren endure a weekend to forget (Reuters)

Martin Whitmarsh: “Qualifying was poor and then in the race, looking back at it with the data we’ve got, we made mistakes. We weren’t quick enough, that’s the starting point. But I think we should have been able to get into the points.”

Helmut Marko Q&A: Red Bull turned down Pirelli test (F1)

“It is correct that we were offered such a test. We decided that by committing such a breach of regulations, we – as championship leaders – would be confronted with consequences and thus did not follow that route.”

Whitmarsh: Bahrain GP will open 2014 F1 season (The Telegraph)

“The idea of having a test in mid-January, probably in Jerez, logistically is straightforward. Then having a gap by which you can respond to the issues and then testing in some warm weather in the Middle East seems to be attractive to the teams.”

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Comment of the day

@Irejag believes grid positions penalties should be made more effective:

Since Grosjean is technically only going to be moving down three spots on the grid today, he should have the remaining seven grid slots on the penalty carry over to the next race.
@Irejag

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On this day in F1

Dave Walker was born on this day in 1941. The Australian driver raced Lotus’s highly unconventional turbine car on his F1 debut at Zandvoort in 1971.

The following year he partnered Emerson Fittipaldi and achieved the dubious distinction of being the only driver who failed to score a point in the year his team mate became world champion. That marked the end of his F1 career.

Image © Caterham/LAT

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34 comments on “In-season testing to return in 2014”

  1. a week ago they were all saying they didn’t want in season testing to return.

    Reverse psychology anyone?

    1. @fer-no65 the changes in regulations may be a good reason to have more testing next year, motor, tyres will be really difficult.

      Somenone was saying that with more testing the gap between small and big teams will be bigger. Hope this isn´t the case.

      1. @celeste sure, but it’s nothing new. They suddenly realized they need in season testing? 2 weeks ago, we already knew there would be kazillion changes for next season.

        1. @fer-no65 no, not suddenly. But I guess it took time to reach an agreement.

          1. I heard the smaller teams still hope the FIA does not sign it off, as they are sure they won’t be able to do much testing (because they would have to have a test team) @celeste

    2. I suggested a similar scheme last week. It makes sense to have one or two in season collective testing sessions at specific venues right after the race.

      It will help eveybody, teams, drivers and tyres supplier.

  2. I hope we’ll see the return of in-season testing next season and I’m glad to see them adopting a system of staying at circuits after a GP given all of the benefits this brings. It’s unusual to get a common sense decision in F1 and I think that this is one of those rare occasions when we’ve got one.

    1. I agree and apparently so do 8/11 teams, I suspect the holdouts to be the teams with the biggest investment in Wind-tunnels and associated technology.

      1. no, the holdouts are the smaller teams (apart from Sauber and Marussia who are apparently held to vote with Ferrari on this by their engine supplier) who fear the cost of the test teams and the extra GBses and engines @hohum.

        I think I read comments from Sauber and Marussia (a bit strange those two, when they voted in favour, but there you go!) as well as Force India along those lines (I would guess Caterham would not be all that much into more testing either). Kaltenborn or Fernley (not sure which of them it was) mentioned that the windtunnel hours are a laugh, because they allow several interpretations (Red Bull counting only the hours done at full speed into the limit, because they have an “older windtunnel, which takes longer to get up to speed” – but no one there to check whether they test something in the hours before that)

  3. What a terrible end to the weekend. Condolences to the Marshall’s family.

  4. Completely agree with COTD. Great solution to an ongoing problem. I hope the FIA read that comment or that they eventually find that solution.

  5. RBR saying they didn’t take the offer because it was an obvious breach of the rules sounds awfully upright. But it seems a bit strange that, when the spec tire manufacturer calls and says, let’s test, it’s cool with the FIA, that they just hung up on them. Did they tell the FIA, hey, Pirelli is going around asking people to do an illegal test? Also, what did they refuse? A test with a “current” car on future tires or did they refuse what Ferrari got—current tires, old car? Makes a difference. Their indignation needs a little investigation.

    1. @dmw Agreed. Sounds like a ton of hypocracy going on here.

      RBR were the most vocal for change to the tires. And even at that they are winning.

      My first reaction was…hey wait a second…wasn’t one of Horner’s complaints last week regarding the tire test, that everyone wasn’t asked? Why weren’t we hearing about them also being asked, last week? Talk about spinning it a certain way.

      And like you said DaveW, you’d think then they would have immediately gone to FIA to ask how it is Pirelli could/would go around asking teams to do illegal tests and to find out what’s up with that? They’d want Pirelli investigated for colluding with team(s), since they are obviously so upright about clear breaches of contract.

      If this was clearly a breach as Marko puts it, then I don’t think Mercedes would have done it for it wouldn’t have been worth the risk nor are they that stupid nor lacking in integrity, nor do I think they would be coming across now like they will be found innocent of any wrongdoing at the tribunal.

      The only thing I agree that he says is that as a leading team the controversy would have been elevated, and I’ve been saying that of any team that was in the top 3 at the time Pirelli did this tire test.

      And also regarding that…I’m very confident it will be made clear after the tribunal that this was a Pirelli tire test, not a normal F1 team test for Mercedes, and Marko is vague about exactly what the effect of the so-called advantages Mercedes would have gained are. And his complaint should go toward Pirelli, not Mercedes, since this was clearly a tire test that Pirelli was asking for.

      RBR wanted the tires changed, and were/are happy that someone else fell on their sword to make it so. I think I’ve never really disrespected RBR before, in spite of what some have criticized them before of, that being master rule benders and then master whiners when others bend the rules, but I think now it is time to start.

  6. Luca must be soooooooo happy! Awwww the good old days seem to be coming back! XD

    1. He’ll be looking for more no doubt.

      1. I imagine ferrari won’t be 100% happy until unlimited testing returns. Personally, I wouldn’t mind unlimited testing. I hear people saying big teams will be out of reach if that happens, but who keeps winning with the current testing regulations? Bring back the good old days I say. Give the teams some freedom in the regs so the cars start looking different and engineers can have more freedom to come up with new ideas. I’m so bored with no engine development, and the regs are so tight now, teams just don’t have room to breathe anymore. Bottom teams are bottom teams. They come and they go and if they’re good enough they stay and make an impact. Look how quickly red bull have risen. Look at force India, they are consistently moving forward. I would love to see front wings narrowed, rear wings widened but drastically shallower, and still tall with no beam wing, a further reduction of winglets over the body, and a strictly controlled ground effect floor. I think that, coupled with a relaxation of engine regs, would bring f1 back to where it should be – the pinnacle of motor racing. For both racers, and engineers. Maybe a return to two engine options, supercharged and naturally aspirated, with different regulations for each. If one proves significantly better than the other, relax the limits to even them up. I miss old f1, where the engineering was revolutionary, interesting and different. Also with most of the downforce produced by ground effect the cars will be able to run close and pass more often, which means we can bin drs. Front and rear wings would really only be for aero balance, with little to no winglets creating turbulence. Please fia please!

  7. Makes sense to the remain & test after a GP although for the fans I would have much preferred to see teams being able to run a 3rd chassis in FP1/2 for rookies only although I fear they would all be doing long fuel runs to collect data to aid its primary drivers for the race weekend. This will somewhat impact results etc… Maybe these tests should only be for reserve drivers. I think 4 tests is a little excessive as 2-3 would have been better. A few of questions remain.

    1. What will be the other two venues?
    2. It says one car can only be used, can a differing chassis be used for each day?
    3. Will the gearbox’s & engines they use be the ones they use as part of the championship cycle?

    1. It does seem that they have not differentiated PRACTICE from TESTING, something I believe they should do, but ” it will be the same for everybody blah blah blah.

    2. @ming-mong

      1. What will be the other two venues?

      It will depend on the way the final calendar arranges races, but the teams reportedly want to test at Barcelona, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring.

      2. It says one car can only be used, can a differing chassis be used for each day?

      Probably, but there is not much sense in it, since both the chassis are the same. The rule is mostly there to limit teams to running one car at a time.

      3. Will the gearbox’s & engines they use be the ones they use as part of the championship cycle?

      No, and that’s part of the problem. It currently costs about 300,000 Euros for a driver to take part in the Young Driver Tests. That is set to be axed in favour of this system, but the price of 2014 engines are set to make the cost of testing go up to about 1,000,000 Euros per driver.

      1. for the fans I would have much preferred to see teams being able to run a 3rd chassis in FP1/2 for rookies only although I fear they would all be doing long fuel runs to collect data to aid its primary drivers for the race weekend

        That’s exactly what they’d do. The teams get a total of just for hours track time per car at each Grand Prix. Giving them an extra six hours with a third car would enable them to get more data for race simulations.

        Besides, there’s not much testing that can be done in three hours. Testing is only really effective when the teams are free to follow whatever programme they want to, with no time, lap or distance limit attached.

        It might sound nice to strcture a retrn of testing in such a way that it caters to the fans, but in practice, it’s a bad idea. This is one occasion where the fans will simply have to go without. The teams don’t owe the fans anything outside the races, and argubly, trying to give the fans what they want has led to the introduction of unpopular and divisive elements, like DRS and the ultra-sensitive tyres. Turning testing into an access-all-areas spectacle will only hurt it.

        Formula 1 was always better when there was some mystery attached.

    3. They will use extra engines and gearboxes @ming-mong. So far we know of only these 2 tracks, I guess its reasonable to expect Hockenheim/Nürburgring to be added to that (a welcome boost of income for the track!) and maybe Monza (would teams want to test at the low DF track?) or possibly the Hungaroring?

      The chassis will be up the the team, as they can use whatever amount they want during the year.

      1. a welcome boost of income for the track!

        Will the test days be open to spectators, then?

        1. It would probably be @timothykatz, but the real benefit is that a track is hired by the teams for a test, so they get the rent (which includes safety staff etc.).

  8. What is this about a force india mechanic getting in to a fight with Paul Di Resta´s trainer? Anyone knows?

    1. We can’t let Tennis get all the headlines !

      1. @bascb Yes, wonder if it was really related?

  9. “Dave Walker was born on this day in 1941. The Australian driver raced Lotus’s highly unconventional turbo car on his F1 debut at Zandvoort in 1971.”

    Shouldn’t that be “[Gas] Turbine” car @keith-collantine?

    1. Yep, definitely. It was the Lotus 56B gas turbine, four wheel drive.

  10. Well, this is a great news indeed! :)
    Let’s hope it stays this way. http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/295913/pirelli-will-not-introduce-new-tyres-in-britain/

    1. Yeah it will be interesting to see what happens. I wondered if, due to the weather on Friday, things would get put off. Pirelli will go with a stronger glue to try to prevent delaminations, but if there will be no modifications to the tires otherwise, then I predict that the next hot venue will see a return to 4 stopper, delta time racing, at which time tweaked tires will come back to the fore.

  11. So last week we heard that 6 teams met at Monaco to discuss ways to get back to some in-season testing, now we see that 8 out of 11 teams voted it in and it will be so because that it a majority.

    Yet when it came to the tire testing issue, EVERYONE needed to be asked and needed to be there, according to some complainants, and when it comes to changes to the tires EVERYONE has to agree?

    I must say it sure is confusing to know when a majority is good enough, and when 100% agreement is needed. You’d think changes to the tires would mean presumably that if some think they need improving then all would think they would benefit from better tires so a 100% agreement wouldn’t be needed, and yet with testing, some who were concerned about the costs of that, which could have far bigger implications to their abilities to operate in F1, would have liked the 100% rule to apply and yet now they are forced to find money to test while the top teams will have no trouble.

    I know there are benefits to testing of course, but I’m not sure a reduction in the young drivers test and the promotional days are going to save the lesser teams enough money to allow them to do the in-season tests that are now going to be on, so I think this just made life more difficult for the lesser teams to keep up with the top teams unless they can find the money. And that said, I think having some tests for a few days after a race weekend is certainly an excellent way to minimize costs. Like I say, I just don’t get how they decide when and how much of a majority rules when it comes to votes.

    1. @robbie
      I could be wrong (I often am) but I think that the rules require a unanimous agreement by the teams to introduce testing, change the tires etc but as of next season this changes from a unanimous agreement to a majority agreement.

      1. Fair enough, but for now it seems like it depends on the issue as to whether it is unanimous or a majority that is needed, so I guess you are implying that since the testing they are talking about for 2014 was voted for my a majority then they’ll proceed accordingly since that’s for next year not this year. I’m buying it even if you’re wrong…for now…let’s see if we get a majority vote on it or full concensus.

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