2010/2011 winter testing

[ChrisTipper]

I still dont think theirs enough testing during the year, it does not cost too much to test, and its not help the three new teams and Sauber.

[mx_tifoso]

I for one am hoping to see a return of special winter testing liveries. McLaren orange? Williams dark blue? Yes please.

[ESPImperium]

2011 Testing dates announced:

Valencia = Febuary 1, 2 & 3rd
Jerez = Febuary 10, 11, 12 & 13th
Barcelona = Febuary 18, 19, 20 & 21st
Bahrain = March 3, 4, 5 & 6th

However, the smaller teams would like either an additional week in europe at Portamao for one track and either going back to a track that they have tested on or go to a diffrent cuircit for testing has still been unresolved in the padock.

If i were the larger teams, id make it that the top 5 constructors championship teams have 4 weeks testing and must go to Bahrain and the rest have 5 weeks and only test in Europe.

[EricB]

I was about to share my breakthrough idea of testing on Thursdays but then read more than a few people had posted the same idea. I think Steve Matchett on SpeedTV has also said something to that effect, too. It would be great for the fans to be able to see testing AND a Grand Prix weekend, and it would probably help some of the tracks improve their bottom line. Spa especially comes to mind.
Agreed, MX, would love to see the testing liveries return!

[ESPImperium]

From what is being discussed in the paddock in F1 at the moment the way forward is for there to be a model of what happened at Japan this year, whitch basically means this for the weekend format:

* Friday Practice = A single 2 hour session with each team feilding a test & Reserve driver and a development driver, in effect this would lead Renault to have Grosjean and D'Ambrosio in the session for them for example.
* Saturday Pratice = Two one hour sessions with the race drivers at the wheel
* Sunday Morning @ 9AM Quali (Each driver would only be allowed two 4-lap runs in each session, with each driver having to do at minimum one run in each session, and Q3 being a single lap shootout with a 10 min time limit)
* Sunday Afternoon @ 1PM to 3PM (Local time dependant) Race

The race distances would seemingly be cut by 10% for this to happen.

But after Japan, the idea of Sunday Quali & Races has seen many teams intrested, but if this is to happen, they are wanting it to happen in 2013 when the new formula rules are brought in, as there is seemingly aggreement between all teams that 2012 should see a stabilisation in rules, whitch means 2011 rules would stay in place for 2 years.

The idea of Thursday testing has been thought of, but one idea for Thursday testing is that the top 5 constructors teams from the previous year be excluded from this as to give the smaller teams an advantage to make the grid closer and tighter than ever before. However, if this happened; the top 5 teams would expect to see their TV money increased as well as a sweetener for them.

[Diesel]

* Sunday Morning @ 9AM Quali (Each driver would only be allowed two 4-lap runs in each session, with each driver having to do at minimum one run in each session, and Q3 being a single lap shootout with a 10 min time limit)

Okay. Sunday morning qualifying has been tried before and on a whole it doesn't work. Remember the aggregate system? What a pile of trash. Also, the current qualifying system is the best it's ever been, leave it alone. Any changes to the current qualifying format could only destroy it, why do we need to restrict drivers to X amount of laps, what's the point?

In my opinion the race format is perfectly fine. Everyone seems to forget that at alot of the races there are supporting races happening on the same weekend, F1 fans don't just sit there doing nothing for hours waiting for Qualifying or the Race to start, jeez.

If they want a cost effect in-season test solution then schedule tests between races where there is a 2 week gap and host the tests at the next race venue. For example this year we had a race at Barcelona on the 9th May, so we could have had a test session during the week starting 26th April. That way the teams don't have to spend money travelling around. Obviously there will be other events at alot of the venues, but I'm sure they organise something. A lot of F1 circuits are barely used all year, especially the new ones.

If you wanted to organise something that wasn't available to the top 4-5 teams then you could go back to the third car in friday practice, that was a great way to give new drivers exposure during a race weekend. Banning spare cars was a complete farce because most of the teams still ship one out, they just don't put it together anymore.

[ESPImperium]

2010 Young Driver Test Shedule:

16 & 17 November - Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi:
Red Bull: TBA (Likley to be a 2 day Riccardo test)
McLaren: TBA (Usually Autosport award winner for one day)
Ferarri: TBA (Probably will be Jules Bianchi and one other)
Mercedes GP: Sam Bird
Renault F1: TBA (Likley to be the World Series by Renault 3.5 champ and one other)
Williams: Pastor Maldanado & Dean Stoneman
Force India: TBA (Likley to be Paul Di Resta)
Sauber: Sergio Perez & Estaban Guiteriez
Toro Rosso: TBA (Likley to be Jean-Eric Vergne)
Lotus Racing: TBA (Liklely to be Farus Fauzy & Nabbi Jeffri)
Hispania: TBA (If they can charge for the priveledge, they will get someone)
Virgin Racing: TBA (Likley to be a 2 day D'Ambrosio test i think)

19 & 20 November - Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

This is the Pirelli test, whitch will feature more or less all the drivers that are already confirmed for 2011.

Then its no on-track action for arround 10 weeks.

[segedunum]

I'm not sure what difference that would make. I'd like to see gymkhana type weekends. Something different to a normal race weekend where you have a handful of shorter races, points are available for fastest times or where grids are mixed.

If they want to do something they need to go in a different direction because no matter what happens they will end up having exactly the same race weekends we have always had regardless of the schedule.

Watching testing? Not going to wash if they want to increase viewer numbers. Only all but the most die-hard of F1 fans will turn up and watch and the whole point of this should be to get new viewers.

[WilliamsF1]

Does testing an F1 car cost more than LMP1? I don't think so.

This world exclusive spy shot shows a Peugeot 908 HDi test hack at Monza, where the French manufacturer has been testing in secret for the past three days as it evaluates the changes required by the 2011 Le Mans regulations.

[JGomezH]

Pastor Maldonado, GP2 2010 Champion, will test for Hispania Racing in Abu Dhabi

http://www.hispaniaf1team.com/en/home/2 ... -abu-dhabi

[marcush.]

I ´m not sure if the mileage alone does useful things .If you have a lot of new parts to sort out and validate there is a point,but for HRT? no new parts no sense to test ...
As shown by :Kobayashi,Ambrosino,Hülkenberg the really good drivers do not need that much practise to be on it even if new to F1.
The idea of driver development is nonsense .why spend money on raising a driver if there are examples that can perform the trick out of the box?
The TR driver development thing with Speed,Liuzzi,Bourdais,Vettel,Buemi,and Algesuari has netted Vettel ,who was already nursed by BMW before......
the cracks came in and simply did perform..just think off Hamilton ,Raikkonen ,Massa,Rosberg,Schumacher etc

[lolzi]

I ´m not sure if the mileage alone does useful things .If you have a lot of new parts to sort out and validate there is a point,but for HRT? no new parts no sense to test ...
As shown by :Kobayashi,Ambrosino,Hülkenberg the really good drivers do not need that much practise to be on it even if new to F1.
The idea of driver development is nonsense .why spend money on raising a driver if there are examples that can perform the trick out of the box?
The TR driver development thing with Speed,Liuzzi,Bourdais,Vettel,Buemi,and Algesuari has netted Vettel ,who was already nursed by BMW before......
the cracks came in and simply did perform..just think off Hamilton ,Raikkonen ,Massa,Rosberg,Schumacher etc

What do you mean by "driver development"? As far as I know, Vettel was part of Red Bull from a very young age (karting), like Hamilton was part of McLaren for a very long time before F1. And I don't know about Hamilton "just performing", I think I saw a video where he told that he was offered to drive in 2006 but didn't want to because he wanted to test and get used to F1. Massa was, as far as I remember, not very good when he started, but he was then made test driver for Ferrari and when he came back he was quite good.

[mach11]

hey all, it was reported that the Mercedes team tested their 2011 spec diffuser during practice sessions for the Brazilian GP....

any reports on that....

[marcush.]

I ´m not sure if the mileage alone does useful things .If you have a lot of new parts to sort out and validate there is a point,but for HRT? no new parts no sense to test ...
As shown by :Kobayashi,Ambrosino,Hülkenberg the really good drivers do not need that much practise to be on it even if new to F1.
The idea of driver development is nonsense .why spend money on raising a driver if there are examples that can perform the trick out of the box?
The TR driver development thing with Speed,Liuzzi,Bourdais,Vettel,Buemi,and Algesuari has netted Vettel ,who was already nursed by BMW before......
the cracks came in and simply did perform..just think off Hamilton ,Raikkonen ,Massa,Rosberg,Schumacher etc

What do you mean by "driver development"? As far as I know, Vettel was part of Red Bull from a very young age (karting), like Hamilton was part of McLaren for a very long time before F1. And I don't know about Hamilton "just performing", I think I saw a video where he told that he was offered to drive in 2006 but didn't want to because he wanted to test and get used to F1. Massa was, as far as I remember, not very good when he started, but he was then made test driver for Ferrari and when he came back he was quite good.

my claim is river development in F1 is useless when done in a Toro Rosso ways.
what would you derive from the pairings they have channeled in and out of that team?
Liuzzi was starting somewhat erratic and still is .Speed was whatever he was and nobody will miss him ,Bourdais was overshadowed by Vettel and for whatever reason not gelling with the team ,Vettel was already a F1 driver with lots of experience when he joined..so does not really count,now we got buemi who is a bit more impressive than liuzzi but now alguersuari who was nowhere last year has not only catched up but seems to be quicker ...To me this is not leading to anything...I don´t think these two do a better job than Yamamoto or Petrov but these at least
bring good money to the team..maybe I´m too harsh but f1 is like that ..2 years ago Toro Rosso was winning a race....and now they are back to obscurity.
In my view a quick driver steps in and is performing .It will not take a year to show that he has speed.(see Hulk)

[Giblet]

Toro rosso has drivers that are likely better than the car. Algasuari catching up to buemi doesn't necessarily mean the buemi is poor, just that Algasuari is now also getting the maximum or near maximum like buemi has been. The home built str car is one of the most poorly developed chassis on the grid, and the fact theycant even make the fduct work shows there is little if any sharing between str and rbr.

Str has bigger issues than drivers but buemi has shown some good wet weather driving from time to time and algusuari has been getting better