Will F1 Have Another Pre-Season Test Session?

[Ringleheim]

The start of the season is now pushed back to May, and it probably won't begin then either.

It might be a long while before there is a race.

Therefore, might we see another large test session scheduled, so teams can evaluate what they are working on during all this time?

It would have to take place at a closed track and preferably in an area where the virus is rare, if possible. Yes, it would involve groups of people gathering, but perhaps they could all be screened before hand to ensure no one has the virus.

Televise the whole thing and air it live, for free, for the fans of F1 who are getting a raw deal in all this.

[Just_a_fan]

If they were to do that, it would be sensible to have a UK track and an Italian track. Alfa might just have to find a private circuit somewhere if Italy is still closed.

At least then the UK-based teams could do a day each at, say, Silverstone and the European teams a day each at, say, Imola or Mugello (Monza probably isn't the best track for a test). By having a day each, the teams wouldn't be directly mixing (if such a thing is to be avoided).

[Ringleheim]

If they were to do that, it would be sensible to have a UK track and an Italian track. Alfa might just have to find a private circuit somewhere if Italy is still closed.

At least then the UK-based teams could do a day each at, say, Silverstone and the European teams a day each at, say, Imola or Mugello (Monza probably isn't the best track for a test). By having a day each, the teams wouldn't be directly mixing (if such a thing is to be avoided).

That's an interesting idea. How about Fiorano? Ferrari is down the street and Faenza isn't that far away. Somewhat limited track from a technical perspective, but I don't see how Ferrari employees walking down the street create any sort of "health risk" that isn't there at the factory already.

Let the UK teams test at Silverstone.

How about unlimited testing for anyone who wants to do it?! Maybe for a certain period of time? Kind of a way to give the fans some "F1" without giving them F1.

How about "3 days" of testing to be done by the teams, with only 1 team at the track per day, and with all the teams scheduling their days at the tracks before hand.

That's how they used to do it. A team rents out Silverstone for a few days and goes testing. No crowds anywhere. No real travel. Some of the F1 teams are practically at the Silverstone entrance.

I'd love to see something like this organized, instead of just "no F1" for months on end.

[izzy]

They should just have a race. The Italians have already gone from one of the safest places to about the most risky

[Manoah2u]

I don't see what that would add. (testing)

The only 'positive' thing right now - unless key engineers and personel are stricken by the virus too -
is that teams can focus more on both 2021 and in 2020's development before the actual start of the season.
Then again, why would they, as everybody will start in the same situation.

originally there would be a record braking 22 races this season,
that in itself was quite the logistical and organisational nightmare, so it's quite the feat if they can still manage to
include the remainder 21 races.

China, Vietnam and Bahrain have been postponed, aswell as the Dutch GP.
It's likely the season will start in Spain, which is where pre-season testing took place to begin with, despite the fact that in Barcelona there's an outbreak too.
I do believe it'll get postponed by a week, so the GP will take place 17th of May instead of 10th.

The Dutch GP has wiggled itself into August now, which is a wise decision to take, even if miraculously the season could start earlier.
I expect it to take place the 23th of August.

Bahrain will probably be placed a week before Abu Dhabi. (22nd of November)
China can be placed between Japan and the US GP. (18th of October)
and Vietnam between Italy and Singapore (13th of September)

Then all 4 gp's that are currently postponed can take place.

Since the Australian GP got officially cancelled, i don't believe it'll get a second chance this season.
If it would, it would have to make a deal with Abu Dhabi to take the mantle of being the season finale,
which i don't think Abu Dhabi is really willing to take.
If they would be open to that, then it could take place the week after, so that would be the 6th of December.

Offcourse IF other GP's are willing to wiggle around with dates due to the Corona crisis, things might be planned differently.
Major problems would be other major sport events. Big football/soccer leagues get postponed to 2021 alltogether, so that would take some pressure off,
but the 2020 Olympics will surely take place as planned, hence why the Dutch GP won't be planned in between that timespan.

The 'best' change, though not taking into account any major sporting events that i'm completely unaware of,
would be:

17th of May : Barcelona, Spain (postponed by a week)
24th of May: Monte Carlo, Monaco
31st of May: Sakhir, Bahrain
7th of June: Baku, Azerbadjian
14th of June: Montreal, Canada
28th of June: Paul Ricard, France
5th of July : Spielberg, Austria
19th of July : Silverstone, Great Britain
2nd of August: Hungaroring, Hungary
9th of August: Sochi, Russia
23rd of August: Zandvoort, Netherlands (originally 3rd of May)
30th of August: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
6th of September: Monza, Italy
13th of September: Hanoi, Vietnam
20th of September: Marina Bay, Singapore
27th of September: Shanghai, China
11th of October: Suzuka, Japan
*18th of October: Melbourne, Australia*
25th of October: COTA, United States
1st of November: Autodromo, Mexico
15th of November: Interlagos, Brazil
29th of November: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

Major changes here would be getting Russia to go more than a month earlier than planned.

It'll be very hard to fit Australia between the Japanese and US GP though.
but IF the AUS GP wants to have any chance of taking place in 2020,
that would seemingly be the only reasonable moment, OR very hard, a week before Abu Dhabi.

In the end, i think AUS GP simply won't take place in 2020. They might turn Abu Dhabi in a double-points finish.

[Ringleheim]

I think it's been made pretty clear that the Australian GP is finished for this year.

Some of the other missed races may be re-scheduled. Way too early to say on that.

My point about testing was that if the season is delayed another 3 month or more (as I think it will be), the teams are going to want more track time to see if their theoretical development is actually working or not. During the season, they get that on Fridays.

With a delayed start to the season, they won't have any track time whatsoever and at some point are going to need it. Or at least I would think.

[Pyrone89]

I don't see what that would add. (testing)

The only 'positive' thing right now - unless key engineers and personel are stricken by the virus too -
is that teams can focus more on both 2021 and in 2020's development before the actual start of the season.
Then again, why would they, as everybody will start in the same situation.

originally there would be a record braking 22 races this season,
that in itself was quite the logistical and organisational nightmare, so it's quite the feat if they can still manage to
include the remainder 21 races.

China, Vietnam and Bahrain have been postponed, aswell as the Dutch GP.
It's likely the season will start in Spain, which is where pre-season testing took place to begin with, despite the fact that in Barcelona there's an outbreak too.
I do believe it'll get postponed by a week, so the GP will take place 17th of May instead of 10th.

The Dutch GP has wiggled itself into August now, which is a wise decision to take, even if miraculously the season could start earlier.
I expect it to take place the 23th of August.

Bahrain will probably be placed a week before Abu Dhabi. (22nd of November)
China can be placed between Japan and the US GP. (18th of October)
and Vietnam between Italy and Singapore (13th of September)

Then all 4 gp's that are currently postponed can take place.

Since the Australian GP got officially cancelled, i don't believe it'll get a second chance this season.
If it would, it would have to make a deal with Abu Dhabi to take the mantle of being the season finale,
which i don't think Abu Dhabi is really willing to take.
If they would be open to that, then it could take place the week after, so that would be the 6th of December.

Offcourse IF other GP's are willing to wiggle around with dates due to the Corona crisis, things might be planned differently.
Major problems would be other major sport events. Big football/soccer leagues get postponed to 2021 alltogether, so that would take some pressure off,
but the 2020 Olympics will surely take place as planned, hence why the Dutch GP won't be planned in between that timespan.

The 'best' change, though not taking into account any major sporting events that i'm completely unaware of,
would be:

17th of May : Barcelona, Spain (postponed by a week)
24th of May: Monte Carlo, Monaco
31st of May: Sakhir, Bahrain
7th of June: Baku, Azerbadjian
14th of June: Montreal, Canada
28th of June: Paul Ricard, France
5th of July : Spielberg, Austria
19th of July : Silverstone, Great Britain
2nd of August: Hungaroring, Hungary
9th of August: Sochi, Russia
23rd of August: Zandvoort, Netherlands (originally 3rd of May)
30th of August: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
6th of September: Monza, Italy
13th of September: Hanoi, Vietnam
20th of September: Marina Bay, Singapore
27th of September: Shanghai, China
11th of October: Suzuka, Japan
*18th of October: Melbourne, Australia*
25th of October: COTA, United States
1st of November: Autodromo, Mexico
15th of November: Interlagos, Brazil
29th of November: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

Major changes here would be getting Russia to go more than a month earlier than planned.

It'll be very hard to fit Australia between the Japanese and US GP though.
but IF the AUS GP wants to have any chance of taking place in 2020,
that would seemingly be the only reasonable moment, OR very hard, a week before Abu Dhabi.

In the end, i think AUS GP simply won't take place in 2020. They might turn Abu Dhabi in a double-points finish.

Sources for the new dates of Spain and Dutch GP or even their formal postponement?

[Tim.Wright]

The teams aren't interested in testing - they don't get paid for it, and it's a huge expense.

[Manoah2u]

I don't see what that would add. (testing)

The only 'positive' thing right now - unless key engineers and personel are stricken by the virus too -
is that teams can focus more on both 2021 and in 2020's development before the actual start of the season.
Then again, why would they, as everybody will start in the same situation.

originally there would be a record braking 22 races this season,
that in itself was quite the logistical and organisational nightmare, so it's quite the feat if they can still manage to
include the remainder 21 races.

China, Vietnam and Bahrain have been postponed, aswell as the Dutch GP.
It's likely the season will start in Spain, which is where pre-season testing took place to begin with, despite the fact that in Barcelona there's an outbreak too.
I do believe it'll get postponed by a week, so the GP will take place 17th of May instead of 10th.

The Dutch GP has wiggled itself into August now, which is a wise decision to take, even if miraculously the season could start earlier.
I expect it to take place the 23th of August.

Bahrain will probably be placed a week before Abu Dhabi. (22nd of November)
China can be placed between Japan and the US GP. (18th of October)
and Vietnam between Italy and Singapore (13th of September)

Then all 4 gp's that are currently postponed can take place.

Since the Australian GP got officially cancelled, i don't believe it'll get a second chance this season.
If it would, it would have to make a deal with Abu Dhabi to take the mantle of being the season finale,
which i don't think Abu Dhabi is really willing to take.
If they would be open to that, then it could take place the week after, so that would be the 6th of December.

Offcourse IF other GP's are willing to wiggle around with dates due to the Corona crisis, things might be planned differently.
Major problems would be other major sport events. Big football/soccer leagues get postponed to 2021 alltogether, so that would take some pressure off,
but the 2020 Olympics will surely take place as planned, hence why the Dutch GP won't be planned in between that timespan.

The 'best' change, though not taking into account any major sporting events that i'm completely unaware of,
would be:

17th of May : Barcelona, Spain (postponed by a week)
24th of May: Monte Carlo, Monaco
31st of May: Sakhir, Bahrain
7th of June: Baku, Azerbadjian
14th of June: Montreal, Canada
28th of June: Paul Ricard, France
5th of July : Spielberg, Austria
19th of July : Silverstone, Great Britain
2nd of August: Hungaroring, Hungary
9th of August: Sochi, Russia
23rd of August: Zandvoort, Netherlands (originally 3rd of May)
30th of August: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
6th of September: Monza, Italy
13th of September: Hanoi, Vietnam
20th of September: Marina Bay, Singapore
27th of September: Shanghai, China
11th of October: Suzuka, Japan
*18th of October: Melbourne, Australia*
25th of October: COTA, United States
1st of November: Autodromo, Mexico
15th of November: Interlagos, Brazil
29th of November: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

Major changes here would be getting Russia to go more than a month earlier than planned.

It'll be very hard to fit Australia between the Japanese and US GP though.
but IF the AUS GP wants to have any chance of taking place in 2020,
that would seemingly be the only reasonable moment, OR very hard, a week before Abu Dhabi.

In the end, i think AUS GP simply won't take place in 2020. They might turn Abu Dhabi in a double-points finish.

Sources for the new dates of Spain and Dutch GP or even their formal postponement?

Read first. then reply.

[hollus]

Be civil to each other, please.

This is only personal opinion, but there is zero chance (IMO) of a race in Barcelona in May.
I am Spanish, and right now there is a Spain-wide ban on walking on groups of two if there is a legitimate reason to be outside walking, and a ban for a leisure walk at all.
There are three government bodies, one for Spain, one for Catalonia and one for Barcelona, that would immediately veto any attempt to import a couple of thousand people from all over Europe to hold a race.
Think also that England has officially and publicly committed to having lots of cases in April.

This ball won't get rolling again until August at least, again IMO.

[PlatinumZealot]

Make hay while the sun shines. The team will want to go straight away to racing.

[Pyrone89]

"China, Vietnam and Bahrain have been postponed, aswell as the Dutch GP.

The Dutch GP has wiggled itself into August now, which is a wise decision to take, even if miraculously the season could start earlier."


These are definitive statements...

Mod edit: No baiting, please.

[izzy]

Be civil to each other, please.

This is only personal opinion, but there is zero chance (IMO) of a race in Barcelona in May.
I am Spanish, and right now there is a Spain-wide ban on walking on groups of two if there is a legitimate reason to be outside walking, and a ban for a leisure walk at all.
There are three government bodies, one for Spain, one for Catalonia and one for Barcelona, that would immediately veto any attempt to import a couple of thousand people from all over Europe to hold a race.
Think also that England has officially and publicly committed to having lots of cases in April.

This ball won't get rolling again until August at least, again IMO.

yes reading through https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ ... ome-(SARS) i don't see why the epidemic is going to end before more like November even. There was never a vaccine for the original SARS and SARS-2 is more contagious

without a vaccine it depends on the viruses being destroyed in the host and the emitted copies not finding a new host before they die. And with them surviving for 2-3 days on common surfaces that's going to be incredibly hard to achieve, and the fact that symptoms are mostly late and not severe actually help it to spread

of course it is new and so nobody really knows. But if there's going to be an F1 season at all i think they have to plan for closed doors races, personally, it looks to me like crowds are going to be out for a long time

Tho probably lots of us are getting small doses without really noticing and developing immunity, hopefully