Mario Theissen's comment, supported by Christian Horner, in today's press conference caught my eye:
"...with this year's test restrictions, you can hardly bring a young driver up to Formula One any more. There is just not enough opportunity."
Not enough opportunity? Hardly bring a driver up to F1? In recent years team owners have snapped up youngsters in the hope that they're the next big thing. Instead of allowing them to develop through the minor formulae, they've preferred to put them straight into an F1 car.

Instead of complaining about testing restrictions, Theissen should be looking at McLaren's approach to Lewis Hamilton's career. He wasn't lifted out of Formula Renault and "locked away" in Woking, he was allowed to develop as a driver in a variety of series, racing around the world, gaining experience, which he is now putting to good use.

Horner says
"I think it's going to be very tough for youngsters under the current regulations and testing agreement to actually break into running in the car because track time is at an absolute premium and I can't see us putting youngsters in the car before the end of the season."
Those youngsters should be out there racing at every opportunity, not hanging around the paddock on race weekends doing a bit of PR, and listening in on the team radio. It's not the testing regulations that forced the teams to sign them up so early, or want to put them in an F1 car immediately. The teams have race drivers. If they want to sign other drivers, then moan they don't get time in the car, well tough! Fund a seat for them in F3, GP2 or elsewhere so that they can get race experience.

This seems more about teams wanting to put pressure on the FIA for more testing, and they're using the youngsters as a smokescreen.