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McLaren does not plan to take part in the post-season Formula 1 test for young drivers in Abu Dhabi.
F1’s traditional end-of-year running at the Yas Marina circuit will be a one-day test this year and has been ring-fenced for drivers who have not started more than two grands prix.
It appears to view the test as not worth the additional expense and logistical headache
“The regulations are clear, so we do not plan to take part in this test from our side,” said team boss Andreas Seidl.
McLaren does not have any official young drivers on its books anymore. It had Sergio Sette Camara last season, but he is now employed by Red Bull as a reserve driver.
But options would’ve existed for McLaren to participate had it felt the test was worthwhile.
It could run its experienced development driver Oliver Turvey (pictured above) as the Formula E racer has not started an F1 grand prix.
Alternatively, McLaren could have sold the running to a well-backed young driver.
However, it appears to view the test as not worth the additional expense and logistical headache.
In addition to the cost attached to participating in the one-day test, it will force team members to remain in Abu Dhabi until at least Wednesday December 16.
Under current UK quarantine rules that demand returnees from the United Arab Emirates isolate for two weeks, that would force personnel to isolate until December 30.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix itself will already theoretically require any attendant to quarantine until after Christmas.
Seidl commented on McLaren’s plan after being asked about the objection to Renault running Fernando Alonso in the test.
“You cannot prepare for a world championship in one day and a half” :: Fernando Alonso
Two-time world champion Alonso will make his comeback next season after two years out of F1 and Renault had requested dispensation to run him in the test.
The rules do state that the FIA has the right to allow a driver with more than two grands prix experience to participate and may judge applicants on a case-by-case basis.
But Renault’s bid was thwarted on Monday in an F1 Commission meeting.
“We all voted for a regulation change at the beginning of the year when this pandemic started, which ended up in this test clearly being defined in the sporting regulations and having a sole purpose of testing young drivers,” said Seidl.
“That’s all I can say, there’s not even a discussion required.
“As far as I understand Fernando is a great Formula 1 race driver with a great record of success.
“And I can’t really see how he fits into the sole purpose of a young driver.”
Alonso’s F1 preparations before a truncated pre-season programme in 2021 will be limited to 100km of running in Renault’s 2020 car on a filming day and a two-day Bahrain test in a 2018 car in November.
He is at Imola this weekend, embedded within Renault on-site for the first time.
Alonso believes it will “take a couple of races” for him to get up to speed.
“The limited testing for next year is going to be a challenge for everyone but a little bit more for me because I’m out of the car two years, and I think it is going to be only one day and a half with winter testing,” he said.
“You cannot prepare for a world championship in one day and a half.
“I will try to create on the simulator some things that we need to save time on the real car for finetuning the set-up.
“But it is a new team, new steering wheel controls, new procedures, new engineers, a lot of new things that it will require a little bit of time.
“I will try to make it as short as possible.”
