Winter test too short? 'Three test days will not be enough then'

Due to various reasons, this year's winter test was only three days, a significant shortening from what is usual. Many teams were able to do enough driving and collect data, but the call for more test days in 2022 is also heard. Especially then a longer period is important, because of the introduction of a lot of new regulations and additionally a new type of car.

Halving test days

The main reason for cutting test days by half this year is due to using the same chassis as last year. Not a great deal has changed from 2020, so on paper the teams could manage in three days. A shorter winter test was also a consideration in terms of cost, but in 2022 that is of course a different story.

Both Otmar Szafnauer of Aston Martin and Franz Tost of AlphaTauri state that they would like to see more test days in 2022. This to be able to analyse all the changes that will be made to the cars. The difference is so big that three days is not enough, but according to Tost a good balance has to be found with regard to the costs.

"Next year we will have a new car and I think three test days will not be enough then. We do have to find a good balance between the number of days and the cost, because 2022 will not be a cheap year," said Tost at Motorsport.com. Something Szafnauer also says: "Next year we will have a completely new car and we have to take that into consideration where and how long we will test."