The FIA authorizes the holders for the Rookies Days and Pirelli to conduct tests

The FIA announced that it has decided to modify the rules for the young driver tests that will take place at Silverstone from July 17 to 19. The governing body of the Formula 1 World Championship allows regular or test drivers to run if the teams believe they will be more useful for conducting development work with Pirelli tires.

Our priority is to ensure safety for everyone in Formula 1, and we believe the incidents at Silverstone represent a genuine safety issue for the drivers. Therefore, we have decided to modify the testing for young drivers to allow teams to use drivers they deem fit to conduct tire testing in order to address the issues seen during the British Grand Prix. I think it is appropriate to carry out this work on the circuit where these problems occurred, stated Jean Todt, President of the FIA, in a statement.

These tests, usually reserved for drivers who have participated in fewer than two Formula 1 Grand Prix during their career, are therefore revised to allow regular drivers to work with Pirelli tires. The FIA also announced that these tests could also be extended by an additional day.

The FIA has thus informed the teams that these requests would be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council to be approved as soon as possible. The regulation changes will also concern the authorization to alter tires during a season without the unanimous consent of the teams – something that Ferrari, Lotus, and Force India have notably opposed in recent weeks.

The FIA also clarified that, as decided by the International Tribunal, the Mercedes AMG team will not participate in these tests even if the conditions are to be changed. At the same time, the F1 governing body has demanded assurance from Pirelli that such issues will not occur again.

The Italian manufacturer has reportedly been granted permission to conduct – before the tests for young drivers – two tests of three days each, as revealed by Bernie Ecclestone to the Guardian: « They can use whatever they want. No restrictions. Not at all, so they can do as they please. They said they’d love to sort this out, but they haven’t had the chance to conduct any tests due to current restrictions. But I spoke to Jean Todt this weekend and he said, ‘Let them test.’ So he authorized them to do two tests of three days between now and …, whenever they want, to try and do something for next year, and also this year, so that’s exactly what’s going to happen. »

According to Autosport, Pirelli is expected to run on the Paul Ricard track next week and in Barcelona the following week. Given Bernie Ecclestone’s statements, the Italian manufacturer might even be allowed to use a 2013 single-seater.