Formula 1 has scrapped plans to hold a single, five-day pre-season test in Bahrain next year.
RaceFans has learned the 2019 F1 season will begin with two four-day tests, as it did this year. The tests are expected to take place from February 18th to 21st and February 26th to March 1st.
The tests will take place a week earlier than last year because the first race of next season, the Australian Grand Prix, has also been brought forward by a week on the 2019 F1 calendar.Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe said “it’s become clear there isn’t enough support” to move testing from Spain to Bahrain.
While the Circuit de Catalunya is considered the likely venue for both tests, the possibility of holding one test at Jerez has been mooted. However, Lowe said, “there’s a reluctance to split because then there’s a lot of cost around moving.”
Renault technical director Nick Chester is among those who prefers the Circuit de Catalunya as a pre-season test venue. “Just because it’s easier and it’s still a good baseline track for us,” he said.
Moves to change the testing venue to Bahrain came about after this year’s pre-season test at the track was disrupted by snow. “We don’t tend to lose much with weather,” said Chester. “We can lose a day or two.”
“The only difficulty with Bahrain is it’s a bit harder to get parts out there,” Chester added. “So if you’re pushing everything late getting your updates there, getting your spares there, is a bit more of a hassle.”
Chester said he also preferred sticking with the current test format. “Going from two four-day tests to one four-day test would be a little bit painful because people would only really be able to do mileage. You’d have to try to get as much reliability mileage as possible in those four days, so you’d do very little set-up work.
“So from our point of view we’d rather do two four-day tests.
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ksells (@ksells)
28th July 2018, 19:10
Just wait for testing to be a complete washout next February and the teams complain about a lack of dry running.
Jere (@jerejj)
28th July 2018, 19:44
Why not either Circuito de Jerez, Estoril, or Paul Ricard?
HUHHII (@huhhii)
28th July 2018, 22:13
@jerejj I guess the weather is the biggest issue with Catalunya circuit. There’s nothing wrong with the circuit itself. It won’t be considerably warmer in Jerez or Estoril so I don’t think they’d be better options in any way. Not sure about Paul Ricard though: is it warmer there at winter compared to Spain?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th July 2018, 22:25
@huhhii it shouldn’t be, normally, no? this year’s conditions were freak anyway, it’s not normal to see snow so often in Barcelona. There was a polar wave all over Europe anyway, but Barcelona is often sunny.
HUHHII (@huhhii)
28th July 2018, 22:49
@fer-no65 Yeah I know snow is not common, but I remember even in previous years teams were complaining about cold temperatures and how it’s impossible to get useful tire data from there.
jamesluke2488
29th July 2018, 8:29
Considering Paul Richard is just North of Barcelona and not far away, I would imagine the weather would be exactly the same.
anon
28th July 2018, 22:17
@jerejj, whilst the teams did use Jerez in the past, I believe that logistical concerns meant that both it and Estoril have become a little less popular. As for Paul Ricard, the preference seems to be to use that venue mainly for the in-season tests for the wet tyres rather than for the pre-season tests.
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
29th July 2018, 0:18
As @huhhii already mentioned, all those tracks are in a similar climate. There won’t be big differences in terms of temperature or percipitation, so they might just stick with Barcelona and hope for the best.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
29th July 2018, 11:41
Surely if they split the tests between Barcelona and Jerez they will get two bites at the cherry? I cannot imagine it snows at Jerez very often. It’s considerably further south than Barca and away from the Pyrenees.