Three teams modify 2012 pre-season programmes
Feb.24 (GMM) With one group test and three weeks until Melbourne, Ferrari, Red Bull and Lotus have modified their pre-season programme.
According to widespread media reports, and confirmed by the top teams, Red Bull and Ferrari will delay their Barcelona running next week by a day.
They will therefore test between Friday and Monday rather than Thursday through Sunday.
It is believed they argued successfully to their competitors, who needed to unanimously green-light the change, that Mercedes set the precedent by leaving Jerez one day early recently in order to run alone on the day before this week's Barcelona test.
Speculation indicates that Ferrari wants the one-day delay in order to gain more time to manufacture parts.
Following a difficult start to the life of the Italian team's radical new F2012 car, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone this week said Ferrari "know what the problem is".
"It's not a (difficult) problem to fix," he told reporters, "so I think you're going to find that they are going to fix it quite shortly."
Red Bull, meanwhile, wants some quieter running in order to test parts that have been held back by Adrian Newey's technical team, according to rumours.
"They haven't shown everything yet," thinks Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, according to Bild newspaper.
And Lotus will almost certainly be granted an extra test day in addition to next week's four days of Barcelona running, after the former Renault team pulled out this week after discovering a serious chassis problem.
"This request will probably be accepted by the other teams," Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn confirmed to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Where will Kevin Magnussen rank among the Project 91 NASCAR drivers?
Kimi Raikkonen goes viral with blunt two-word response to throwback F1 post
Otmar Szafnauer reveals failed Kimi Raikkonen bid involving "Angry Birds" founders
Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: You decide F1's greatest driver
FIA happy for F1's Macarena wings to stay, Red Bull had to do "more work"
Why Charles Leclerc’s battle of the brakes has left him trailing Lewis Hamilton
Kyle Larson's Knoxville Nationals win brings Cup momentum too
Drivers like Connor Zilisch and Erik Jones show how Kyle Busch's legacy crossed generations
NASCAR declares 8/18 'Kyle Busch Day' as tributes pour in
Homestead will again host NASCAR championship weekend in 2027
What an engineer with four decades of F1 experience would choose as the ideal engine rules
How much performance has each F1 team gained over 2026?
Switch off or ramp up? How the smartest F1 drivers managed the summer break
Could McLaren follow Red Bull’s path with its own F1 engine – and should it?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments