Vasseur points to two factors in rejection of increased private testing

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur does not believe Formula 1 shouldreturn to unlimited private testing under the cost cap regulations,pointing to two factors. Grand Prix squads were previously able torun unlimited private in-season testing - and even had dedicatedtest teams but this was banned in a bid to limit costs. Since 2014,in-season testing was reintroduced after a handful of Grands Prix,including the Abu Dhabi finale with teams also taking part inPirelli tyre testing to aid their development. Aside from theselimited opportunities, the only other way squads can run their carfor the year outside of a race weekend is in their two allocatedfilming days -which are limited to 100km and are often used asshakedowns before pre-season testing. When asked if a relaxation ofthe private testing ban was something to consider under the costcap, Vasseur rejected the idea. Pirelli crucial factor "If you staywith the current budget cap, it would be more than difficult toreintroduce tests, because the cost of the test is mega," Vasseurtold media including RacingNews365. "If you start to do thetesting, you will have to produce two times as many engines, havetons of mileage - in one test day you are doing the mileage of a[grand prix] weekend, and that means if you do 20 test days, it isanother season in terms of parts. "But it was true for us [in 2023]that when you are struggling, the fact that you have no test daysat all, it is very difficult to come back - and it is also verydifficult to come back when the correlation between the simulator,wind-tunnel and the track is not always mega. "With the cost cap, Ithink it is impossible to reintroduce the testing - we coulddiscuss about one or two sessions, but don't forget that inparallel, we have the Pirelli test days, and we are doing a lot forPirelli. "When you have a look on the calendar, it is not justabout the races, we have three or four sessions for Pirelli testdays, and when you have to find a slot for the Pirelli tests, yousay: 'It's already a lot.'"