Jim Watt wrote:I hope the Merc boys know what they are doing holding their car out. And this makes me ask a silly question:
can the teams test on their own on their own facilities out of sight of other teams? And if so, how many miles are they allowed? If not, it seems nuts on the team's part to miss a whole testing period. But Ross is nobody's fool, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
The teams are only allowed a certain number of miles of testing privately for 'promotional' purposes. These tests are run on promo tyres. The teams do utilize this to test their cars for reliability and not performance.
There is also an allowance for straight line testing
It is claimed Mercedes are hiding something and hence their decision to delay the testing until the second test. That remains to be seen!
The actual testing regulations for 2012 are as follows (a bit confusing)
Section 22 of the Sporting regulations
TRACK AND WIND TUNNEL TESTING
22.1 Track testing shall be considered any track running time not part of an Event undertaken by a competitor entered in the Championship, using cars which conform substantially with the current Formula One Technical Regulations in addition to those from the previous or subsequent year, with the exception of promotional events carried out using tyres provided
specifically for this purpose by the appointed supplier.
22.2 Track testing may only be carried out using cars which have been subjected to, and fulfilled the requirements of, the tests described in Articles 16.2‐6, 17.2‐3 and 18.2‐9 of the F1 Technical Regulations.
Furthermore, any car used for track testing must be fitted with the panels described in Articles 15.4.7 and 15.4.8 of the F1 Technical Regulations.
22.3 No competitor may carry out more than 15,000km of track testing during a calendar year.
22.4 No track testing may take place :
a) Whilst a Championship Event is taking place.
b) During the month of August except under c) iv) below.
c) Between the start of the week preceding the first Event of the Championship and 31 December of the same year with the following exceptions :
i) One three day test carried out on a site approved by the FIA for Formula 1 cars.
ii) One three day young driver training test, carried out on a site approved by the FIA for Formula 1 cars either, between the end of the last Event of the Championship and 31 December of the same year or, at any other time during the Championship season following the agreement of all competitors and the FIA. No driver who has competed in more than two F1 World Championship races may take part in this test and all drivers must be in possession of an International A Licence.
iii) Four one day aerodynamic tests carried out on FIA approved straight line or constant radius sites between 1 January of the current year and the start of the last Event of the Championship. Any of these days may be substituted for four hours of wind‐on full scale wind tunnel testing to be carried out in a single twenty four hour period.
iv) If a team declares that one of its current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will be permitted between the start of the week preceding second Event and the last Event of the Championship. The following must be observed :
‐ Any such day may only be carried out by the new driver and may not take place on a circuit hosting a race in the current Championship year.
‐ Any such day may only take place within a period 14 days prior to the substitution and 14 days after the substitution has taken place.
‐ If a team, having declared the driver’s substitution and performed the test, does not then enter an Event with the new driver, the team will be penalised by a reduction of one day from the pre‐season track testing days available in the following year.
22.5 During all track testing cars must be fitted with the FIA ECU required by Article 8.2 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations. However, FIA approved software need not be installed in the FIA ECU when aerodynamic testing is being carried out in accordance with 22.4(c)(iii)
above.
22.6 No track testing is permitted at sites which are not currently approved for use by Formula 1 cars. In order to ensure that venue licence conditions are respected at all times during track testing, competitors are required to inform the FIA of their test schedule in order that an observer may be appointed if deemed necessary.
22.7 During all Formula One track testing :
a) Red flag and chequered flag procedures must be respected.
b) No other type of vehicle is permitted on the track.
c) Every reasonable effort should be made to ensure that the recommendations concerning emergency services detailed in Article 16 of Appendix H to the Code are followed.
22.8 If, after an incident during track testing, the Medical Warning Light signals that threshold forces have been exceeded the driver must present himself for examination in the circuit medical centre without delay.
22.9 With the exception of the full scale testing permitted in 22.4(c)(iii) above, no wind tunnel testing may be carried out using a scale model which is greater than 60% of full size.
22.10 No wind tunnel testing may be carried out at a speed exceeding 50 metres/second.