The Formula One world is ever-changing, with the concerned bodies implementing new rules every season. The FIA aims to make the sport eco-friendly without destroying the critical essence. The entertainment and thrill offered by F1 are unparalleled, making it a global sport. However, the technology that makes Formula One a massive success requires thorough research and consistent efforts.
Therefore, F1 car testing is crucial to innovation and technological advancements. The FIA fixes the norms for every team to perform the testing so that it doesn’t get out of hand. Further, the challenge for the FIA is to keep testing even for every team to make the competition intense. However, a recent incident, including Red Bull, forced FIA to change the current testing rules.
Ferrari Questions Verstappen’s Testing In Imola
In 2007, testing was the opposite, with unlimited opportunities for track tests. Later, the FIA restricted the testing distance to 30,000 km per team, with every squad having a full-time testing driver. Further, teams positioned below P5 in the Championship can use a third F1 car for the FP sessions. In 2008, the FIA imposed a complete ban on in-season testing, a policy that has largely remained unchanged since then. While testing was permitted after the season’s final race and during a designated twelve-day pre-season official test, in-season activities were restricted to just a few hundred kilometers annually, primarily during ‘marketing’ or ‘filming’ days.
However, the FIA allowed teams to conduct unlimited testing with what are termed ‘previous cars.’ These are defined as vehicles built under the technical regulations from any of the three calendar years immediately before the year preceding the current championship season. In 2024, teams can conduct unlimited testing with their 2022 cars, using either current or test drivers. While these tests typically focus on young driver development, Red Bull used the RB18 this season for a broader purpose. Max Verstappen tested at Imola before the Spanish Grand Prix to address the car’s kerb-riding issues.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur addressed Testing of Previous Cars (TPCs), particularly when racing drivers are involved. He pointed out that TPCs when conducted shortly before a race, serve more as a development tool rather than just a testing opportunity. Vasseur clarified that while Red Bull’s approach is within the regulations and legitimate, the distinction between development and standard testing becomes blurred. Vasseur suggested that if regulation enforcement becomes necessary, it might be important to differentiate between TPC days allocated for race drivers and non-race drivers. This distinction would help clarify how teams use these sessions for development versus testing purposes.
FIA Takes Action As Testing Rules Changed
The FIA has set clear regulations to ensure that testing previous cars does not give teams an unfair advantage for the current season. According to the FIA, teams are prohibited from using any test parts, sensors, instrumentation, software, or components during these tests that could provide information related to the cars used in the current Championship or those built to comply with the Technical and Sporting Regulations (TCC). This rule is designed to maintain a level playing field by ensuring that any data gathered from testing older cars cannot be used to improve the performance of current vehicles.