To adapt to an increasingly technological world, F1 is evolving accordingly. Drivers have less and less time on track, while access to professional simulators for virtual testing of cars and various in-season developments is increasing. Carlos Sainz is not pleased with the direction F1 is taking in this regard and shared his thoughts on test management.
To highlight why drivers need more testing, Carlos Sainz mentioned the rookies. This year, newcomers to F1 will have just twelve hours to test their car—the same amount of time as the veterans.
Even TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) sessions have been reduced, though the former Ferrari driver does not see these cuts as particularly significant. “Experience is only gained by driving the car you’ll be racing that year on track.”
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“I think F1 can do a better job with test days. Many teams spend huge amounts of money on simulators.”
With the budget cap introduced in recent years, teams prefer to invest in technological tools to develop and assess their cars. What Carlos Sainz does not understand is why teams cannot invest the same amounts in physical testing instead of simulations.
Carlos Sainz then presented his proposal to improve testing. The Spaniard suggested keeping the current collective test days but allowing an additional portion of the budget to be allocated to either simulator work or on-track testing at the teams’ discretion.
“It’s good to have collective tests. But my proposal would be to include more test days within the budget cap, along with the necessary resources for simulators. Then, teams can decide where to spend their money—whether on simulation or ten days of testing.” – the Spanish driver concluded.
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