De la Rosa: The lack of testing in F1 is like not training and facing Djokovic in a final
Pedro de la Rosa, Ferrari's reserve driver in Formula 1, expressed his sadness at not being able to drive more during tests and regretted a situation that could ultimately render his role useless in the top discipline.
The 2014 Formula 1 season saw a notable increase in the number of private test days, both before and during the season, to accompany the introduction of turbo hybrid engine technology. However, the governing bodies, commercial rights holders, and team representatives agreed on a gradual reduction of these sessions starting in 2015.
Thus, next season, the number of private tests during the season will be reduced from four to two (with the obligation to run young drivers for half the time); in 2016, the pre-season sessions will be reduced from three to two.
For Pedro de la Rosa, development driver for Scuderia Ferrari – present this Tuesday during the private tests at Silverstone – this situation is not good for Formula 1: « It’s a disappointment, in general, for the drivers. You just wonder if it’s going in the right direction. »
He regrets spending more time in the simulator than in the cockpit of an F1: « I leave Maranello every week after two days in the simulator, and I see a beautiful circuit called Fiorano that is empty of cars. We have the simulator for training, but it’s nothing compared to the real car. »
« I feel like a tennis player who can’t train every day and then, suddenly, finds himself in the Wimbledon final against Djokovic. How would you feel? I feel that way because the other guys are driving every two weeks and not me, » he explains to Autosport.
« I feel a little sad about [the reduction of tests] because it means that drivers like me will just disappear, and not only because young ones will arrive. » He concludes by appealing to the teams: « An agreement on testing between the teams would be good for the sport. »
On Jules Bianchi’s side, a driver from the Ferrari Academy and a main driver at Marussia F1, the stance is the same: « It’s clearly a shame, because it’s great to be able to do tests. For me, it’s important because in every sport, in the world, you can train whenever you want, but in F1 it’s expensive and you can’t do that. We have to deal with it, but it’s not going to be easy. »
