Due to the war in the Middle East, there is no Grand Prix in April, but that doesn’t mean the teams are standing still. GPblog sets out what the eleven teams are planning so far.
If there’s one team making full use of the freed-up period, it’s
Ferrari. The Italian squad is conducting a Test of a Previous Car (TPC) with two reserve drivers, a Pirelli test with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and later in the month, the improved power unit will be tried out at the Monza circuit during a filming day.
Meanwhile, things are relatively quiet for
Red Bull Racing for now. The Austrians completed a Pirelli test at the Suzuka circuit right after the Japanese Grand Prix. For the time being, it doesn’t look like Max Verstappen’s team will rack up any test mileage before the next Grand Prix in Miami.
Make GPblog your preferred source on Google and see our content first in Google Discover and Google News. Which teams are on-track?
Mercedes and
McLaren will be in action. George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri will be at the Nürburgring on April 14 and 15, where they will take part in a Pirelli test.
The Williams team will also be on track this month. The British outfit has scheduled a TPC, but it depends on favorable weather conditions to actually run.
The same goes for Haas
F1, which will be giving an older car a run, this time at the Silverstone circuit. The regular drivers, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, won’t be flown in for this, however.
Cadillac and
Audi do not have TPC opportunities because they are new teams in
Formula 1. After all, such a test is only possible with cars older than two years.
The Alpine team is keeping all options open for a TPC or filming day but has decided not to announce in advance if and when a test will actually take place.
Aston Martin currently has no plans for a test in the Grand Prix-free month. Neither do Racing Bulls, who have already completed a Pirelli test.
Why Lewis Hamilton is taking part in a test with Ferrari this week
As mentioned, GPblog can confirm that both Leclerc and Hamilton are conducting a Pirelli test, rather than reserve drivers from the Italian team.
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