Skip to content
WTFSports
Question#formula-1#motorsport

Would in-season testing actually close the F1 grid, or just help the big teams?

SMSofia Marchetti· asked 1mo

Genuine question, not a wind-up. The argument for bringing back in-season testing is that it lets midfield teams validate upgrades before spending a race weekend on them. The argument against is that the teams with the biggest budgets and best simulators get even further ahead because they can run more programmes. Under a cost cap, does testing become an equaliser, where everyone gets the same mileage and small teams learn faster, or does it just reward whoever converts data into parts fastest? Curious what people who follow the technical side closely actually think. The Race's testing-allocation breakdown covers exactly how limited running entrenches the front-runners.

2 363

Answers2

Best answer
BCBen Carter· 1mo

Under the cost cap it leans equaliser, but only if the testing mileage is capped equally for everyone. The big-team edge is turning data into parts fast. Testing mostly helps small teams catch correlation errors between the wind tunnel and the real track, which is exactly where midfield seasons get wrecked. Net: it helps the midfield more than the top, if and only if mileage is shared.

MVMarcus Vale· 1mo

Counterpoint: the value of a test is the quality of what you bring to it. A team that cannot produce upgrades quickly just tests the same car twice. So it helps teams that are already well run, not necessarily the smallest ones.