FIA Official July 17, 18, 19 Silverstone Test thread

But do you see my point about it being neither one thing or the other?

Red Bull are treating it as the young drivers test and running there young drivers. So are Marussia and most other teams have done that too whilst slipping in a day for a race driver. Ferrari and Toro Rosso are bending the rules and making it a test.

No disrespect to Parfeet and Turvey but they are not the stars of tomorrow or likely to get F1 drives. Whilst I'm sure their feedback will be useful if Mclaren are making this a test rather than young drivers test (which they are by only fielding one of their young drivers for a day) wouldn't it make sense to have a race driver testing too to get a comparrison?

Mclaren are in no mans land.
 
From what I've seen of McLarens testing regime they will probably spend 50 minutes out of every hour just sitting in the garaged doing sod all anyway...

Well that's Sam Michael for you the only man in the world who can claim to be working hard and doing everything he can, whilst at the same time gaining no progress and doing **** all or at least nothing that can be measured on any appreciable scale known to man...
 
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Well I'm gutted we won't see Vandoorne who has come into the Renault World Series and easily matched the experienced Kevin Magnersen and now started to out class him. He's won more races than him and leads the championship from him and Felix Da Costa(also in the test). Why run Magnersen and not Vandoorne if there both in the programme? Odd.

On other teams Ferrari have been very quiet but hoping they'll give a day to this fella http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaele_Marciello

currently leading the european F3 at 18 years of age.
 
For me Sam Michael is like the labourer with the squeaky wheelbarrow with wheel going squeak,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,squeak,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,squeak,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,squeak, and the foreman says to him, is there is something wrong with your wheelbarrow? to which the labourer replies, yes the wheel needs oiling, and the foreman replies no it's not that, it should be going, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.
 
Everyone but JEV gets a go. Odd decision seeing as he's ahead of Ricciardo in the championship.

As for Cannonball Caledo. Danger Danger high repair bills!
 
No Alonso but Mclaren and Marussia remain the only two teams not to run at least one of their race drivers. You can safely say Marussia's is about cash or why else would Gonzalaz be in? Mclaren obviously see differently to the rest of the grid.

Johnny Ceccoto is an odd one for a day in a Toro Rosso as he is not part of the Red Bull driver programme and has become imfamous this year for dangerous driving including pushing people off track as revenge for being blocked in GP2 this year. If him and Caledo are in F1 next year prepare for lots of safety cars.

Will be interesting to see how Stevens gets on.

Ricciardo in the Red Bull has suddenly got me thinking. They changed the rules for this test to say you can run your race drivers but where does it say you can run another teams race driver?
 
I would have though that Ricciardo does not fit the criteria for a young driver, therefore, he is only eligible to test for any team under the auspices of being a race driver, and all the restrictions that go along with that, regardless of team.

As for McLaren, well, who knows. The within day test last season was quite successful for them, without them sending a race driver, although I dont know how much of Jensons pain last season could have been avoided if he had attended.

I think my level of expectation from McLaren this seasonis sufficiently low that I have adopted a level of ambivalence about it all.
 
Even more on that point the YDT rules originally said you can't run a driver who has compeated in a Grand Prix. Rules were changed to allow the race drivers in to test tyres.

Nowhere does that say to me Red Bull should be allowed to run Ricciardo
 
Surely if anything Ricciardo should be testing for Toro Rosso or will he test for them as well and thus get 2 days in as a full race driver...

There is something not right about this setup but I can't put my finger on what....
 
Do the rules stipulate the time allotted to race drivers? My understanding was that race drivers are only allowed to test for one day, the set up Red Bul are following indicates three half days for drivers which do not qualify as young drivers.

Maybe somebody should protest.
 
On the Red Bull thing: If it is something that can be done why haven't Ferrari put Bianchi in for the day? He'd be able to tell them much more thsn Rigon.

Surely by Ricciardo running a Red Bull he'll be able to compare performance issues between Red Bull and Toro Rosso which is an advantage to one or both.

Whilst I know they prob share anyway having a driver run both cars together in such a short space of time means he'll learn masses.

If I were a midfield team I'd put in a protest before I saw Toro Rosso flying up the field taking valuable points of Red Bull rivals
 
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