Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says in season testing needs a rethink – Formula 1
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says Formula 1 should rethink its in season testing.
Horner said that before the in-season testing becomes a regular feature in the coming years. Most teams have been able to use the Mugello test for developments to the car. It has been a success for teams who were waiting for this test to test their new updates
and get the most analytical data they can achieve through testing.
Ferrari has been a perfect example of this as they have been suffering with a less than competitive Ferrari car so far in the season, and during the Mugello test with the new updates it seems that the team might have been able to come up with some developments
to make the car competitive enough.
Horner though believes that the in-season testing although beneficial for the teams may not be as beneficial for the sport. He said that the cost of the testing was way too high and it would have been better to have another Grand Prix instead of the test.
“The season is gruelling for the guys and we disbanded test teams some while ago,” Horner said. “Mugello is a great venue, a lovely track and the drivers enjoy it, but I think in the scale of things is it right to be testing in-season?”
“If you look at the focus on cost saving, this test hasn't achieved that for any team. Moving forward we should look at whether or not in-season testing is the right thing to be doing,” he added.
Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is another who reckons that the test was beneficial for the outfits that were struggling but not so much for the ones who have been doing good.
According to him, it is a disadvantage to teams who have worked hard to come up with cars that are doing well, and the in-season test allows a chance for the other teams to make up for lost time and come up with improved cars.
It is going to be an interesting debate over the in-season testing but, it has certainly upped the ante and the competition is going to become even fiercer on a much more levelled field of play.
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