Teams confirm drivers for Silverstone test

2014 F1 season

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F1 teams have confirmed their driver line-up for the two-day test which starts tomorrow at Silverstone.

Several teams will use their regular race driver line-up, including Mercedes, Red Bull, Williams, Toro Rosso and Marussia.

However Caterham will give F1 runs to three drivers in junior categories: Will Stevens (fourth in Formula Renault 3.5), Julian Leal (sixth in GP2) and Rio Haryanto (eleventh in GP2).

Among the regular test drivers making appearances are Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren, Daniel Juncadella at Force India, Charles Pic at Lotus and Giedo van der Garde at Sauber.

Ferrari are yet to confirm their driver line-up following Kimi Raikkonen’s crash during the British Grand Prix, though he is expected to race in Germany.

TeamTuesday 8thWednesday 9th
Red BullDaniel RicciardoSebastian Vettel
MercedesNico RosbergLewis Hamilton
FerrariPedro de la RosaJules Bianchi
LotusPastor MaldonadoCharles Pic
McLarenStoffel VandoorneKevin Magnussen
Force IndiaSergio PerezDaniel Juncadella
SauberAdrian SutilGiedo van der Garde
Toro RossoJean-Eric VergneDaniil Kvyat
WilliamsFelipe MassaValtteri Bottas
MarussiaJules BianchiMax Chilton
CaterhamJulian Leal / Will StevensRio Haryanto

Update: Ferrari have now confirmed Jules Bianchi will take Raikkonen’s place at the test. The table above has been updated accordingly.

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Image © Caterham/LAT

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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77 comments on “Teams confirm drivers for Silverstone test”

  1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    7th July 2014, 11:36

    Julian Leal? Why?????????

    1. I’ve never heard of any of Caterham’s drivers :D haha

      1. @strontium They won a test drive on the back of a cornflakes box, part of another FIA change to improve “The show”!

      2. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        7th July 2014, 12:04

        @strontium – That’s an accurate demonstration of their mediocrity! What’s most puzzling is that a) they have an excellent reserve driver in Frijns and a fast tester in Rossi, and b) Leal has had no previous association with Caterham (whereas Stevens is part of the Caterham Driver Academy and Haryanto drives for the Fernandes owned Caterham EQ8 GP2 team). I suppose a cheque arrived from Columbia…

        1. Actually, Rio Haryanto is beating Alexander Rossi pretty bad in GP2 this year in the same car. Correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t follow GP2 but according to the standings, Haryanto has 26 points compared to Rossi’s 10, and his races seem more consistent too. So…yeah…

          1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
            8th July 2014, 8:20

            @mashiat – Rossi is having a poor season, no doubt about that, but he won a race in 2013 and has certainly had the infinitely more illustrious career of the two, being 2008 Formula BMW Americas champion and managing to poach the higher (often top five) WDC positions in his FR3.5 and GP3 campaigns. Despite being the pre-season favourites, due to their testing form, Caterham are having a woeful season, and Rossi’s ranking is not remotely representative of his ability. Yes, he’s no Robin Frijns, but he’s clearly a cut above the likes of Leal and Haryanto.

        2. @william-brierty I noticed the GE logos were removed from the Caterhams for the British Grand Prix (possibly linked to the buy-out), so whether that means they have pulled their sponsorship of the team with Rossi no longer test driver, I’m not sure. It’s just a little theory.

          1. And the Airbus Group for that matter, not that they are linked to Rossi. Still, that’s two big sponsors gone for Caterham.

          2. Yep, I guess Christijan Albers doesn’t need any planes at the moment.
            Saw a GE exhibition stand, featuring a Caterham F1 show car, less than a month ago…

          3. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
            8th July 2014, 8:29

            @deej92 – The arrival of the GE logos on Caterham F1 cars in 2012 neatly coincided with Rossi’s enrollment with the Caterham financed FR3.5 team the same year, so his absence from the test and the absence of the GE logos appear to be more than mere coincidence. Still, he has a chance with Haas…

      1. Unfair comments, Will Stevens is an accomplished young driver.

      2. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        7th July 2014, 12:45

        @bascb – Its a simply process of elimination that proves you’re right, because it certainly not talent talking…

        1. yes, that is how i came to my conclusion.

    2. @william-brierty He’s doing pretty good this year – certainly way better than Haryanto, and maybe Stevens too, who is in a weaker grid this year in my opinion.

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        8th July 2014, 8:33

        @hunocsi – Do you not think that Leal’s performances have something to do with the Carlin car, second only to the DAMS on the GP2 grid?

        1. @william-brierty Obviously the car is pretty good, but I don’t think that in a single-spec series someone could be up there most of the time.
          I’m not saying he’s got the biggest talent, but I don’t see why can’t he have a half-day test with a low-end F1 team, especially when the team needs money.

          1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
            8th July 2014, 14:07

            @hunocsi – When quantified talents like Evans, Abt and Rossi struggle so emphatically whilst podiums and victories are taken by previously anonymous drivers like Leal, Richelmi and Cecotto you can reasonably suggest that there is a substantial gulf between the performance levels of the teams.

          2. @william-brierty I wouldn’t necessarily infer that Evans (Russian Time) is driving for a terrible team like Lazarus or Arden. Nor would I infer that Cecotto (Trident) is driving for a powerhouse team.

    3. @william-brierty they won the Santander trophy design competition…

    4. That’s what I asked myself when.they picked Ericsson for a 2014 race seat. Both Ericsson and Leal have or had no.association with Caterham’s Driver Academy (Will Stevens is in that Academy), they never raced for Caterham in.the support categories (Rio Haryanto is currently with EQ8 Caterham in GP2) and Ericsson has only tested an F1 with Brawn in ’09 and this will be Leal’s first F1 test. That’s why I think that Alexander Rossi or Will Stevens for that matter haven’t been given a fair chance. Rossi’s been a FP driver since 2012 and both Rossi and Stevens have been in the Caterham Academy for a number of years now. Not happy at all

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        8th July 2014, 12:31

        @mattypf1 – Exactly, and it poses the question: if Caterham can only afford to field pay drivers in their F1 team why raise the hopes of an excellent but unbacked driver like Frijns? I see no purpose in disappointing fast young drivers when there is ultimately no chance of promotion. Robin, you’re wasting your time with these guys…

  2. Surprised that neither STR nor Red Bull are giving the likes of Antonio Felix Da Costa or Carlos Sainz Jnr a run. I suppose Ferrari’s decision depends on how fit Raikkonen is.

    1. Is DaCosta still a Red Bull backed driver though?

      1. Ah, he isn’t. Didn’t realize that. I saw footage of him in the Red Bull or STR garage at Silverstone and assumed he still was.

      2. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        7th July 2014, 12:27

        @bascb – He certainly is, I saw him multiple times aiding Alain Prost during his parade runs in the RB8 at the weekend. However I think the roles of Antonio and Buemi have been moved away from team performance and onto team displays and exhibitions, which is a shame because Da Costa unquestionably deserved an F1 race seat. Not putting Sainz Jnr in for a day is puzzling though. I can’t help but think the way Sainz’s inevitable FR3.5 championship victory will be perceived will be impacted by the rather underwhelming list of challengers he has this year, whereas inversely Magnussen beat Vandoorne, Da Costa and Sorensen to take the 2013 title.

      3. From my understanding his position is similar to Buemi’s. Both are working for RBR as a test/reserve driver but not anymore part of their junior program. Red Bull sponsor Buemi in WEC and AFdC in DTM.

      4. He’s Red Bull’s third driver this year..

    2. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
      7th July 2014, 12:29

      @geemac – A run for Marciello would be nice…

        1. I guess he has time on his side.. Ferrari don’t rush their juniors, looking at how long Bianchi is being prepared.

    3. The main reason why I assume that some teams would prefer to use their main race drivers instead of their reserve drivers is because their main drivers can use it as an opportunity to fine tune set ups and evaluate parts back to back with the car that they just drove in the British GP. Furthermore, some teams have not yet had an opportunity to carry out their nominated test day with Pirelli, where they could opt to put their third driver in the car for those tests isntead.

  3. Really looking forward to this! Going along with my girlfriend who’s getting to see a F1 cars in action in person for the first time. She’s more excited than me about it!

    1. Good job to get your girlfriend excited about the F1.

    2. paul sainsbury
      7th July 2014, 19:34

      I don’t want to burst your balloon, but I expect your girlfriend will be rather underwhelmed with 2014 F1. I took my girlfriend to her first F1 weekend at Silverstone last year, she has been a TV fan for many years, and when she heard them for real, she was so moved by the sheer exuberance of the spectacle that she was almost tearful. However, we went to the Spanish GP in Barcelona this year, and the sound of the 1014 cars was so lame that we both wanted to laugh, only the fact that we were both horrified and angry prevented that reaction. The current cars remind me a bit of the 2012 GP3 cars, the ‘shock and awe’ I am afraid, is missing completely. That said, I really hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the day, it is still great to see the best drivers in the world performing, and the cars, visually, are great this year with the extra torque.

      You won’t be needing earplugs though!

      1. paul sainsbury
        7th July 2014, 20:01

        Oops, that should be ‘2014 cars’, and not ‘1014 cars’………:)

        I suspect the volume levels would be similar though!

      2. Having never heard a F1 car before in real life before I don’t have much to compare it to but I went today and was really pleased with how they sounded. They were louder than I was expecting as one would need to shout to be heard over them as they passed by. What’s more, I was able to hear subtleties in sound and differences between cars; the pig-like grunt of the McLaren, the hiss of the Lotus throughout the corner, the yodelling engine note of the Marussia and Sauber (seriously, what is that?!), and the Ferrari turbo winding down on braking. The volume was what made the previous generation. If you compare the new era purely on that basis that of course it will lose out. With respect to other aspects of sound, however, there is a lot to enjoy.

  4. Are the engines, gearboxes etc that they use for the tests separate from the allocation for the season?

    1. shame sauber havent put de silvestro in the car . would be interesting to see what she could do. them caterham drivers drive for caterham in gp2

  5. Stevens and Haryanto? Fine. But Leal? He is driving for Carlin, why not the other Caterham driver, Rossi?

    1. @fixy Or Frijns…

      1. @fixy Frijns needs to attach himself to a team that can afford to train up a talented driver.. Mercedes should be the place, despite them running Juncadella at Force India.

        Rossi needs to attach himself to Haas ASAP for car development testing till 2016. Caterham will now require money for everything.. Hence Leal stepping in ahead of both drivers.

  6. I knew it! I had read on twitter this morning Kolles was going to sell every available moment (Test sessions + FP1 on Friday), I think Robin Frijns can better start looking for a new employer because his days at Caterham are numbered.

  7. Could Bianchi find himself driving a Ferrari, if Kimi is crocked?

    1. I would have thought Pedro de la Rosa would be next in line. But Bianchi is the logical choice after that.

    2. Possibly, I thought de la Rosa would do the monday because then they test for Pirelli, so he could find himself doing both days but they can also call back Alonso.

    3. If Marussia likes him for testing, they might, it would be a nice gesture.

      1. Obviously, as long as they dont give Alonso another run, Bianchi or De La Rosa would be logical choices.

  8. Any word on who’s testing the 18″ wheels?

    1. ‘Lotus’ on Wednesday

  9. if susie wolff is so desparate to do some running, why dont williams choose her?

    1. More chance of Felipe Nasr getting some serious mileage IMO.

  10. Ferrari have confirmed their lineup, it’s going to be Pedro de la Rosa and Jules Bianchi, according to this.

  11. Already posted this on the Autosport forums so apologies to those seeing this twice.

    Is it just me who thinks £30 is crazy money for a test day?

    I’m sure many moons ago (early 2000s) it was free then went up to a tenner which wasn’t too bad but it’s now £30 and that’s a lot. Was thinking about popping down for a few hours after work because I’m interested in hearing the sound of the cars so I can form my own opinion but not sure it’s worth it…

    1. I think it’s quite reasonable when you compare it to a race weekend. As a full time student I cannot justify the cost of attending a race but for £30 I will get to see a car running for the first time in 8 years of following the sport. Until I can afford an F1 ticket, I am content with the BTCC for live racing.

    2. £30 is taking the P (plus booking fee, handling fee and contribution to Bernie’s court costs, no doubt) – more than half the circuit is closed to spectators, including the best viewing spot of all – the entry to Becketts where the cars come right under your nose.
      No, Silverstone, get lost.

  12. For what it’s worth, it’s important to remember that in last year’s event, Sauber gave Kimiya Sato a test, Toro Rosso tested Johnny Cecotto Jr, Ferrari tested Davide Rigon, McLaren tested Gary Paffett who, somehow, still collected a paycheck from McLaren in 2013, and Marussia employed Rodolfo Gonzalez as their primary tester.

  13. petebaldwin (@)
    7th July 2014, 15:56

    Really looking forward to seeing what Jules Bianchi can get out of the Ferrari. With Alonso clearly unhappy with the Ferrari and Kimi struggling, I think there’s a really good chance Jules will end up in a Ferrari next year.

    1. Nah, Raikkonen has a contract. Alonso doesnt have a better team to go to.

      1. @austus The rumor is Mclaren will not be renewing Button’s contract, so that could be an outlet.

        1. I dont see Mclaren doing any better than Ferrari next year. Right now they have the slowest Mercedes-powered car.

        2. McLaren/Honda too risky. Alonso won’t leave Ferrari unless its for RBR or Merc and that isn’t happening.

  14. Two words :
    Joylon Palmer , and vandoorne Felipe Nasir, mark Evans

    Are amoung the most talented, but Leal just happened to get lucky in a dog of car .

    Still Palmer /Nasir are in a league by themselves

  15. It’s a massive shame that Jolyon Palmer is being overlooked by all of the teams. He has been superbly quick and consistent in GP2 this year… Obviously Nasr is with Williams, and Vandoorne with McLaren, Marciello with Ferrari and there’s a few others but once again they’re all overlooking the guy who is likely to be champion.

    1. Palmer is in his fourth full season in GP2. No driver in F1 who has shown himself to be worthy of the place has needed so long to win the title. The closest we’ve come are Grosjean, who did win in his fourth season, but had two half-seasons and might well have won in his second year had he not been promoted to F1 early, and Maldonado, whose first season was only half-length.

      The real talents win GP2 in their first (Rosberg, Hamilton, Hulkenberg) or second season in the formula.

      1. @ilanin Palmer may be in his fourth season but he is still considerably younger than a lot of drivers in that category. He also bypassed a fair few of the junior categories. When Hamilton and Rosberg won the titles, GP2 was still very much in its infancy, and Hulkenberg was arguably gifted the title due to Grosjean being called up to Renault.

    2. Palmer is in talks with a team for a 2015 drive.. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was to replace Chilton at Marussia.

      In GP2, Palmer is in DAMS’ dominant car.. Set up by Pirelli tester Grosjean in his championship year (first year with the current cars). It’s basically like a Mercedes compared to the rest, while Carlin look good too, perhaps like a Red Bull.

      1. @fastiesty @william-brierty Remember Palmer won two feature races last season to Nasr’s zero too, driving for Carlin. This year, he has also shown the consistency to match the speed. It’s pretty absurd to suggest that the DAMS is comparable to the Mercedes, because the Mercedes is over a second quicker than anything else in the field, whereas the DAMS is not.

        1. @craig-o By that, I mean it has the advantage of a better setup in a spec series. That’s pretty much the reason why some cars are consistently ‘top team cars’ and others like Lazarus are stuck at the back, no matter who drives it.

          E.g. Ericsson had no points mid-2013, but over half of winner Leimer by the end, once his unluckiness wore off and he could convert poles to wins. He also had a pole taken away at Abu Dhabi for ‘track limits’; he really only showed championship form over the last half of the season.

          However, Richelmi shows the car pace and then falls back in the races. So there is still a driver element, and thus we can say Sorensen was unlucky not to get reverse grid pole on his GP2 debut at Silverstone, in a worse car than Richelmi.

        2. @william-brierty Palmer is similar to Chilton no doubt, but exceptional at overtaking, whereas Chilton lacks that killer instinct. But they are also worse than Henry Surtees at the same age, who was the best Brit in the first F2 year, despite only getting half the season. Palmer also failed to win Formula Palmer Audi, ironically, against two now unknown drivers.

          Dean Stoneman is also 23, and beat Palmer to the F2 title in 2010; F2 is really more comparable to F3 through budget. In racing terms, Dean is ’21’, as he lost two years through cancer – same for Richie Stanaway after his back injury in FR3.5. Both are now near the top of GP3 with Alex Lynn, who has Red Bull backing for this year.

          Palmer has to show he is, like Chilton, refining himself to a peak performance that is higher than Ericsson can get, who is a natural talent like Bianchi, and bested Palmer in 2012 as team-mates. Winning GP2 comprehensively will go someway to proving that, showing he is one step ahead of Chilton, who kept moving up once in the top 5 rather than completing a championship year.

          Drivers like Chilton and Pic just want to get into F1 ASAP – but Pic would win titles, if he had waited another year to take them before moving up. Palmer is now going to do that, and hopefully use that momentum to replace Chilton in F1. It could be said that their strategy is good – aiming to spend their cash mainly in GP2 and F1, where it counts.

          Ericsson, by contrast, won Formula BMW UK & Japanese F3, but has seemed to lack exceptional pace in GP2 and F1, since testing the Brawn GP car in December 2009, so his fortunes appear to be waning despite more money being spent than ever before.

    3. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
      8th July 2014, 12:53

      @craig-o ^^ THIS ^^

      I would go so far as to say that the only drivers being evaluated in GP2 at the moment are Vandoorne, Marciello and Nasr. The car is such a dominant factor in GP2 at the moment it is becoming impossible to determine who are the real talents, with known talents of Daly, Rossi and Abt mired down in the field because of their struggling teams. Equally GP2 is beginning to develop an all to consistent a record for destroying the careers of promising young drivers, as was the case with Calado and Razia, and is appearing likely to be the case with Nasr, Evans, Abt and Rossi. 2014 was an experiment from Ferrari and McLaren, who have taken quantified superstars in shape of Vandoorne and Marciello from FR3.5 and FIA F3 and implanted them in GP2 to see, as with FR3.5, if they can make an immediate championship impression. Ten races later neither driver is in championship contention, whilst it is likely the inverse would be the case had a FR3.5 campaign been sponsored, and it is in that respect that GP2 is becoming ever more irrelevant in the ladder to F1. Vandoorne will make it to F1, Marciello too probably, but on the basis of the talent they’ve shown in previous categories…

  16. So much for ‘Frijns will be given an easy time because Albers is the new Caterham CEO’!

    I do feel for Robin, but I can’t help but feel he could have been in a Toro Rosso by now, too..

    1. RF turned the Red Bull deal down of his own volition, so I can’t say I feel sorry for him there.

  17. Why no Rossi or De Silvestra? I would prefer to see both of them driving instead of the boys testing for Caterham. I want to see Alexander in an F1 car ASAP and without testing he won’t get there.

  18. I am delighted to see Stoffel in a McLaren and Jules in the Ferrari !

  19. Good practice for jules in a top (?) car

  20. McLaren are giving the car to Stoffel Vandoorne instead of Jenson, and they’re stalling renewing his contract.
    Interesting!

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