The teams oppose the return of private testing

On the occasion of the Turkish Grand Prix, Jean Todt reopened the debate on the limitation of private testing by suggesting the idea of a partial reintroduction of private testing during the season. These tests had indeed been banned at the start of the 2009 season with the goal of cost reduction, a priority for Max Mosley, the FIA President at the time.

« For me, it’s a stupid decision to no longer have tests during the season », stated Jean Todt, current president of the FIA, during the Turkish Grand Prix. « In the past, it was insane to have unlimited tests during the season, but going from everything to nothing is not the right measure. It doesn’t allow young drivers to do tests, it doesn’t give them the opportunity to gain experience behind the wheel of an F1, and I will ensure that this situation changes in the future. »

The limitation on private testing had indeed shown its limits on the occasion of Jaime Alguersuari’s first Grand Prix, when he was completely inexperienced behind the wheel of a Formula One car, before it became evident after Felipe Massa’s accident when Scuderia Ferrari could not have their replacement drivers run in optimal conditions to allow them to adapt to the new technical challenges before their big return to driving a Formula One. The testing regulations were amended to prevent such situations, by including a session reserved for young drivers at the end of the season.

Jean Todt has been advocating for the reintroduction of testing days during the season, but for that, he will need the approval of all the teams before the Formula One Commission meets on the Friday before the European Grand Prix, held in Valencia. However, it seems far from assured, judging by the statements of some team officials.

« I think the current balance is good » claims Christian Horner [Red Bull Racing] in the columns of Autosport. « Perhaps we could run a bit more on Friday or have a few additional sets of tires, which would encourage teams to run young drivers. »

But the main issue raised by the Red Bull boss is primarily economic: « The problem with testing is that as soon as you reintroduce them, you reintroduce the test teams, and the costs rise. […] So, I think the balance we have with pre-season testing and young driver tests at the end of the season is right and financially beneficial, not only for the big teams but also for the smaller ones. »

Otmar Szafnauer [Force India] nods in agreement: « We are already doing 19 to 20 races, and our team is already very busy. Now, we’re going to ask them to do two or three more testing sessions. We will see two teams again, and as soon as you have two teams, the costs go up. »

Martin Whitmarsh [McLaren] also agrees with his two colleagues, as mentioned to the Reuters agency: « Many teams would like to do more testing, but we must be respectful towards the smaller teams. We need to limit costs. »

But Jean Todt contradicted, as early as Sunday, the idea that limiting testing improved fairness between small and large teams: « We cannot return to unlimited testing, but teams now have simulation tools in their factories, so we cannot talk about cost reduction for the big teams. »

Indeed, one only needs to look at the case of the DRS, ultimately authorized in Monaco, for the simple reason that, unlike the big teams, the smaller ones couldn’t afford to design a Monaco-type wing—without DRS—in time for the Grand Prix, to realize that, though commendable, these equity objectives are contradicted by the reality of the situation: top teams have a striking power that more modest teams don’t possess. McLaren and Red Bull were even pointed out during the offseason for having exceeded the cost reduction targets set by FOTA by several million.

On his part, Otmar Szafnauer questions: “Why go backward? There are fundamental things, when I was at Honda, on which we disagreed but, in hindsight, I think we were wrong and that Max [Mosley] was right. We used a specific engine for qualifying. What an expense! For what? For nothing,” he confides to *Autosport* before continuing, “Parc Fermé. Another fundamental thing. […] It didn’t kill the show. Engines that last longer than they used to, […] gearboxes that last longer than they used to […], all these things have reduced costs and haven’t killed the show.”

Only one voice, however, publicly supported Jean Todt’s proposal, that of Luca di Montezemolo on behalf of Ferrari: « We cannot test, we cannot train. F1 is the only professional sport in the world where you cannot train nor test » he explained on CNN.

The Scuderia Ferrari can indeed only be in favor of it, as it has long prioritized the development of its cars on the track rather than in the wind tunnel or simulator, as has been the case for years at McLaren: Luca Badoer’s testing mileage can attest to this. The reduction in testing is likely not unrelated to the end of Maranello’s technical dominance. Today, the design and development of the single-seaters are done in wind tunnels and simulators, fields in which Ferrari struggles to make up ground, as evidenced by the problems encountered by the Italian team with its wind tunnel, officially the source of the 150° Italia’s issues.

There is therefore little chance of seeing private testing reintroduced—even partially—as early as 2012, due to the lack of agreement from the teams, but their return could be on the agenda for 2013, as the FIA would not need their agreement then. In the meantime, teams can always take advantage of straight-line testing sessions or commercial operations (filming commercials and roadshows) to conduct some additional testing.