The good points and bad points of no Summer Testing

[FIA]

What are the good points and bad points of no Summer Testing.

Once upon a time there was plenty of Official Test Sessions during all months of the year, now there only seems to be Test Sessions in the Winter.

[wedge]

They should cut out testing altogether, IMO, and make Friday a test session where possible.

Apart from Monza, they shouldn't be allowed to test on circuits on the calander.

I don't think there is bad point of no summer testing. F1 deservedly needs a summer break.

[Hawkmoon]

They should cut out testing altogether, IMO, and make Friday a test session where possible.

Apart from Monza, they shouldn't be allowed to test on circuits on the calander.

I don't think there is bad point of no summer testing. F1 deservedly needs a summer break.

I agree. Ban in-season testing alltogether and let them do their testing on Grand Prix Fridays. This creates a level playing field as all the teams get the same amount of testing time.

[Tazio]

They should cut out testing altogether, IMO, and make Friday a test session where possible.

Apart from Monza, they shouldn't be allowed to test on circuits on the calander.

I don't think there is bad point of no summer testing. F1 deservedly needs a summer break.

I agree. But it's a crazy game. If your going to cut out summer testing then you can't let teams know the technical changes necessary for the next seasons contender untill everyone is ready to start developement. And then the changes instituted by the FIA are subject to change by the FIA. It's a strange situation!

[V12]

I kind-of agree. As a self-confessed purist something still rankles about the idea of restricting what teams can do in their private time, but if they are going to restrict testing at all, which they have, they might as well go whole hog and restrict all in-season running to race weekends, would be better for the paying public methinks

[wmcot]

I agree. Ban in-season testing alltogether and let them do their testing on Grand Prix Fridays. This creates a level playing field as all the teams get the same amount of testing time.

It would be impossible and maybe unsafe to ban all off-season testing. You would either show up at the first race with an untested design or be forced to run the first few races with last year's car while testing the new design on Fridays.

[Hawkmoon]

It would be impossible and maybe unsafe to ban all off-season testing. You would either show up at the first race with an untested design or be forced to run the first few races with last year's car while testing the new design on Fridays.

I was only talking about in-season testing. Let them do what they want in the off-season. F1 is a meritocracy for the most part and I don't think too many restrictions is a good idea.

However the amount of testing a team can do during the season has a great effect of how the season plays out. Take the old Sauber team. They would often start the season very stongly then fade becuase they simply couldn't keep up with the development pace of the big teams.

If you restrict in-season testing to GP Firdays then even though teams will start the season with differing levels of performance they will all have the same opportunity to develop their cars throughout the season. There won't be a need to run wind tunnels endlessly as there will onlt be so much that can be track tested on the Fridays.

Surely restricting in-season testing to GP Fridays will help with this Holy Grail of Cost Cutting that the FIA is pursuing?

[GP-M3]

I think they should test as much as they want.

[Tazio]

I was only talking about in-season testing. Let them do what they want in the off-season. F1 is a meritocracy for the most part and I don't think too many restrictions is a good idea.

However the amount of testing a team can do during the season has a great effect of how the season plays out. Take the old Sauber team. They would often start the season very stongly then fade becuase they simply couldn't keep up with the development pace of the big teams.

If you restrict in-season testing to GP Firdays then even though teams will start the season with differing levels of performance they will all have the same opportunity to develop their cars throughout the season. There won't be a need to run wind tunnels endlessly as there will onlt be so much that can be track tested on the Fridays.

Surely restricting in-season testing to GP Fridays will help with this Holy Grail of Cost Cutting that the FIA is pursuing?

Hawk your last phrase is the key. Cost cutting is a completely unrealistic concept in f1.
Cost management is far fetched. In reality F1 is, and always will be an absurdly expensive endeavor.
I'm OK with it as long as Ferrari is Kicking

[FIA]

I think they should test as much as they want.

I agree with that. But they should take out tests on Calendar Circuits (other than Catalunya). They should go back to circuits like Estoril, Brands Hatch, Donington park, Nogaro, Paul Ricard and Brno. And maybe ban Ferrari from having so many private tests, I think private tests aren't that good for the sport, have official test sessions. eg. don't come if you want, but it's your only chance, (and bring Test Drivers if the Main Drivers need a break).