Thursday 17 December 2009

Substitute drivers to get pre-race test

From next year, drivers joining a team mid-season may be eligible for a day’s testing prior to racing. In 2009 strict testing restrictions meant Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari made his Formula One race debut with no F1 experience outside of straight-line aero testing, while Michael Schumacher was unable to sample the current Ferrari ahead of his planned comeback.

Now, if a team declares that one of their current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will be permitted, on an approved circuit not being used for a Grand Prix in the current season.

In another minor change to the testing regulations, teams will be allowed six rather than eight days of straight-line aero testing per season. They will also have the option of substituting any of these days for four hours of wind tunnel testing with a full-scale (rather than the normal 60 percent-scale) model.

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