Testing In Old Cars

With less than 3 weeks before the first race of the season the Formula One teams are now catching up for lost time. A lot of things have to be fine tuned before that takes place though. The factories were forced to close down and take an early mid season break. To be fair all the teams are in the same sort of position since Melbourne and what they do between now and the first race could be crucial.

Last week both Ferrari and Mercedes were out on tracks in their regions testing the 2018 car.This is the latest car they are allowed by the FIA rules as it stipulates cars 2 years or older is permissible. I cannot see all the teams testing before Austria though and some will arrive and start testing on the Thursday before the race.

This season has seen a budget basically cut in half and then some yet the bigger teams see this as very important to get back up to speed as fast as possible. The mechanics and race engineers need to reset as they haven't done much for over 3 months now.

I think one of the crucial elements is not only the drivers getting some much needed practice but the tyre changing crews actually having live practice sessions. Most of the other teams will be using a dummy run by pushing a car into position at their factories and doing the timed practice runs that way.

The budget cuts were designed for 22 races and possibly now with only 15 or so there may be some cash floating around. With less travel involved and staying in one place for two races this will ease the pressure somewhat. Two races are at home for most of the teams anyway with Silverstone around the corner for the majority of the teams.

Valterri Bottas mentioned that he was fortunate to stay in Finland for most of the lock down and had a rally car at his disposal. He has been driving flat out since Melbourne and had no issues adjusting back to Formula One. I think many drivers will have some rust as driving on a simulator is not the same as the real thing.

Bottas is under fire for his seat next season whether he likes it or not so he will have added pressure. He is not turning over and expects to still be with Mercedes next season. Personally I think he deserves it as he has been a great ambassador for Mercedes and Hamilton playing the number two role to perfection.

With three weeks to go I expect Red Bull to counter Ferrari and Mercedes this coming week by doing their own practice sessions. Nothing has been announced yet, but then they don't need to as long as the car is older than two years. Ferrari mentioned LeClerc was testing, but had no mention of Vettel whatsoever.

Vettel we know is leaving Ferrari at the end of this shortened season and who knows where he will end up or will he just retire? I am sure something will turn up for him as he is too good to just lose out.