Carlos Sainz Jnr has referred to as on Method 1 to ease its tight restrictions on observe testing by limiting how a lot groups can use their simulators.
F1’s guidelines allow groups a single, three-day pre-season check session utilizing their present vehicles. They’re allowed to run older chassis beneath the Testing of Earlier Automobiles (TPC) laws, however that is additionally topic to mileage limits for the primary time this 12 months.
Sainz, who has joined Williams from Ferrari this 12 months, mentioned his day-and-a-half’s operating within the FW47 was inadequate.
“It feels bizarre that I bought a day and a half and now I must go racing,” he mentioned. “It feels not sufficient, it feels little or no. Ridiculously little, the period of time that we get into our vehicles earlier than going to a race.”
He mentioned the bounds on testing are notably robust on F1’s rookies. Six drivers will begin their first full seasons in Melbourne later this month.
“I’m simply clearly wishing all of them the very best and understanding a bit their frustration with testing, as a result of regardless that I’m clearly no rookie, that day-and-a-half of testing I feel is irritating for me too however I can not think about [how it is] for a rookie. I perceive how tough that makes issues and the way tough the beginning of the season might be for a few of these guys.
“In the event you might get that TPC automobile [running] additionally, that’s related and that may nonetheless assist lots, however expertise is expertise and also you solely achieve that on-track with an actual automobile that you’re going to drive that the 12 months.”
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Whereas observe testing is strictly restricted, groups can run their simulators as a lot as they like, and infrequently use them throughout grand prix weekends to conduct simultaneous checks utilizing stay observe information. However Sainz, who grew to become a director of the Grand Prix Drivers Affiliation final month, believes simulators are much less helpful than real-world testing and groups ought to have the selection between how a lot of the 2 they’ll do.
“I feel F1, if I’m trustworthy, might do a little bit of an effort in making an attempt to do a greater job in how we go testing,” he mentioned. “You have got plenty of groups spending infinite quantities of cash in simulators, to have drivers flying to the UK from Monaco to go to the simulator, and I don’t perceive why we get three days of testing when all that cash could possibly be invested into – I don’t know – eight days of testing.
“I’m not asking for an excessive amount of. Eight, 10 days the place each workforce picks their locations to check. It’s good to have a collective check, I feel it ought to keep, however my proposal could be to place within the price range cap the variety of [test] days, put within the price range cap the simulator additionally, and see the place the groups wish to spend their cash, if it’s within the sim or if it’s in 10 testing days.
“Rookies would profit and I feel F1 groups would profit as a result of regardless that the simulators are good, they’re inferior to a few of the engineers or individuals are likely to imagine they’re. So I’d at all times select testing and for [the rookies] additionally than to enter a simulator.”
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