Ecclestone to Push for Monday Testing in F1

Bernie Ecclestone echoed the voices of the team principals in Formula One when arguing that the lack of in-season testing has put an end to the test-driver era in the series and has made it virtually impossible for young drivers to debut in the series. The F1 supremo is therefore focused on upsetting the testing ban for the upcoming years, proposing a Monday testing session following each grand prix.

No less than three drivers were forced to step into an F1 machinery and compete at high level during this season – Jaime Alguersuari, Luca Badoer and Romain Grosjean – without any prior mileage in a 2009-spec car. While this state of events raised obvious safety concerns, it also led to the rethinking of the entire in-season testing ban rule.

According to Ecclestone, the costs of testing during a season would be easily limited if each team would take the Monday after a Grand Prix to test their car on the circuit.

“The cars are already there, the people as well. The costs will be kept within limits and we can give young drivers a chance,” said Ecclestone in an interview with Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

“The failure of the current system is that it is virtually impossible to test young drivers. That protects the established drivers, but it is absolutely wrong,” further explained the Formula One supremo.

The in-season testing ban was imposed by the FIA in 2009, in an effort to reduce costs inside the sport. The only amount of testing one can make us of during the season is conducted in straight line (which practically doesn't help a rookie driver at all to getting used to the high demands of racing an F1 machinery on a real circuit).