No third driver in 2007(?) and other stuff.

[Marbot]

I know this is a pitpass item (they didn't include a ? in their title),but it could be on the cards.http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=28630

[Marbot]

Plus some other stuff! http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=28629 Interesting.

[Mr V]

If this means that there is going to be a change to the GP weekend, it must be substantial imo.

Surely all 11 teams have to agree to this, and i can't see the bottom 7 doing so if it is going to disadvantage them.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Surely all 11 teams have to agree to this, and i can't see the bottom 7 doing so if it is going to disadvantage them.

The opening sentence of the fifth paragraph of the Pitpass article would suggest that they already have agreed to it, for my understanding is if the World Motor Sport Council agree to something it automatically enters the rule book, hence why the F1 Commission generally meets before the Comission, so that the latter body can vote on any changes (with the exception of the last meeting). That said, I can imagine that some of the smaller teams, such as Midland, would be disappointed at the move, for if nothing else, it closes a revenue making option.

[Smiffy]

On the BBC website, Nick Fry is quoted thus...

"Fans get a raw deal on Fridays as a lot of the race drivers don't even run and they're the guys they have paid to see,"

Nick, mate, what a load of ********!!! We pay to see cars going round the track, and every move the FIA currently makes reduces car time on the track. Those of us who pay to go and see the weekend's motor racing are getting a terrible deal - if you go on race day to Silverstone you get less than an hour and a half of F1 track time!

Formula 1 fans want to see the cars on track, whoever is in the driving seat. I really do not understand why all this cost saving, pseudo green thinking has gathered momentum. Max Moseley, thank you, its time to go, because you are killing our sport.

[Racer Scott]

With Friday being a free testing day we'll probably see all the teams running three cars, and therefore more action for the fans.


Smiffy - I fail to see why you are so angry - given that these proposed changes do exactly what you want!

[Raglanparade]

Could they run as many different test drivers as they want ?

So maybe the higher funded teams might bring 2-3 test drivers to the circuit.... 4 Ferraris in practice, 4 Toyotas, 4 McLarens...

[Sodemo]

Perhaps they are turning friday into a free open test day a bit like the big June Silverstone test which always draws a massive crowd of fence hopping proportions...

[mooneyda]

It seems a step in the right direction to me! Benefiting teams finishing lower in the championship and increasing the number of cars on track over the race weekend! A good thing for us fans!
I think you have misunderstood the intention here Smiffy. Have another read.
Also, welcome!

[hotwheels]

finishing the third car rule would be bad for driver market. Hope they consider keeping the extra car on Friday, maybe for all teams, and then cut on particular tests.

[shiny side up!]

I don't know that no third driver on Fridays would hurt the drivers market... right now it gives a few guys the chance to run around in front of the media and on TV, so we get to see them... but there is a heck of a lot more testing done on non-race weekends than we see on Fridays, and I'm sure anyone who is looking to hire a driver looks as much or more at that ( or previous racing results ). Is there a recent example of a Friday driver getting promoted to a race seat? Maybe Montagny, but I would argue that it would've happened either way.

In the end, there are only X number of race seats, and X test drives available - the drivers market is the same size whether they test on Fridays or not.

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted by shiny side up!

I don't know that no third driver on Fridays would hurt the drivers market... right now it gives a few guys the chance to run around in front of the media and on TV, so we get to see them... but there is a heck of a lot more testing done on non-race weekends than we see on Fridays, and I'm sure anyone who is looking to hire a driver looks as much or more at that ( or previous racing results ). Is there a recent example of a Friday driver getting promoted to a race seat? Maybe Montagny, but I would argue that it would've happened either way.

In the end, there are only X number of race seats, and X test drives available - the drivers market is the same size whether they test on Fridays or not.

Yeah, maybe you're right...

[kipper]

Originally Posted by shiny side up!

Is there a recent example of a Friday driver getting promoted to a race seat? Maybe Montagny, but I would argue that it would've happened either way.

Grand Prix debutants who have taken part in a third Friday seat are Scott Speed, Vitatonio Liuzzi, Franck Montagny, Robert Doornbos, Timo Glock, Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni. Drivers that had already made their F1 debuts, but returned to race after appearing in Friday practice are Christian Klien, Alex Wurz, Pedro de la Rosa, Anthony Davidson and Ricardo Zonta. Which by my reckoning, makes for about 46% of the total drivers to have driven in third seats to have subsequently gained an F1 seat, albeit for a short period. Interstingly with Montagny, he only ever took part in two Friday sessions (France '03 and Europe '05).

[Mekola]

I wonder if that decision was caused by the moves made by lower teams like Minardi, and now, Midland, that gathered funds contracting pay-drivers just to put them only on Friday practices.
Just to remember that, this year, Midland has five "Friday testers": Giorgio Mondini, Markus Winkelhock, Adrian Sutil, Fabrizio del Monte and Roman Rusinov.

[Marbot]

And now it is all official. http://www.fia.com/mediacentre/Press...130706-01.html