Red Bull have dropped Mark Webber from their test schedule at Silverstone following a “clarification” from the FIA.
The team originally planned to run both their race drivers plus Daniel Ricciardo and two young drivers at the test.
However they have altered their plans “following a clarification of the permitted programmes from Pirelli and the FIA for this week’s Silverstone test”.
As a consequence, Ricciardo is now running in the slot originally designated for Webber, while Antonio Felix da Costa will do a full day’s running today. The plan for Friday is unaffected:
Wednesday 17th July
Antonio Felix Da Costa
Thursday 18th July
Morning: Antonio Felix Da Costa
Afternoon: Daniel Ricciardo
Friday 19th July
Morning: Carlos Sainz Jnr
Afternoon: Sebastian Vettel
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Image © Red Bull/Getty
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
17th July 2013, 12:19
Since it’s not listed, I’m guessing the clarification was that teams can only run two current drivers, regardless of what teams those two drivers normally race for.
DominikWilde (@dominikwilde)
17th July 2013, 12:20
So what’s the clarification?
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
17th July 2013, 12:21
The ‘1-day’ rule, I guess?
Rebecca (@becci224)
17th July 2013, 12:22
What’s the ‘clarification’ for RBR dropping Mark Webber from the test?
BasCB (@bascb)
17th July 2013, 14:03
The clarification is, that teams will only be allowed to adjust things like frontwing angles etc, when the race drivers are in the cars @becci224 meaning no development work at all.
Luis O
17th July 2013, 15:18
Ha I opened this article looking for the same information, and even though the title indicates a clarification, we can’t find it on the article! Thanks @bascb
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
17th July 2013, 12:24
One Aussie per team
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
17th July 2013, 12:27
But seriously, yes, it’s because teams can only run one whole day with ‘non rookie’ drivers. Just because Ricciardo isn’t one of their drivers doesn’t mean he counts as a rookie.
GeeMac (@geemac)
17th July 2013, 12:41
I don’t understand why they don’t run AFDC all day Wednesday, Carlos Sainz Jnr all day Thursday and do the Pirelli work with RIC and VET on Thursday?
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
17th July 2013, 13:28
Probably so they can do back to back comparisons between race and rookie drivers
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th July 2013, 13:03
Now Lotus have followed their lead:
Lotus scrap plan to run Raikkonen at test
Pigmer (@pigmer)
17th July 2013, 13:29
Now it all makes sense why Vettel has been constantly faster than Webber!
Merv (@)
17th July 2013, 14:08
Haha! It’s either “slot” or “slow car”.
ObedSPS (@obedsps)
17th July 2013, 19:51
LOL
BenH (@benh)
17th July 2013, 13:33
There were rumours of “one day for experienced drivers” (although this has never really been confirmed since the test was not extended by a day) but I think it may have been that they were angling that Ricciardo, as not one of their own active drivers at RBR, should not have to run Pirelli’s testing programme and could instead run developments as the others in the YDT are doing. Either that, or possibly they are getting feedback from the new tyres saying the characteristics are in fact very similar between the specs and so not as beneficial testing them while losing possible parts development time.
antifia (@antifia)
17th July 2013, 14:03
Ricciardo is now running in the slow originally designated for Webber
antifia (@antifia)
17th July 2013, 14:04
made a mess with the block quote… sorry about that
BJ (@beejis60)
17th July 2013, 17:11
Was hoping to see JEV filling in for WEB if they were somehow allowed to get away with three drivers. Guess not.
Tomsk (@tomsk)
17th July 2013, 20:04
More importantly, Webbo won’t miss any of the cricket now.
Bendanarama (@bendana)
17th July 2013, 20:38
Being Australian, I doubt he wants to see any more of it.
Because we’re going to continue beating them, you see.
Fixy (@)
18th July 2013, 17:27
The fight might be between Raikkonen and Ricciardo, but I think it would have been fairer and wiser to test Vergne rather than Sainz… of course if the clairification is as @prisoner-monkeys suggests above, then that would be impossible.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
18th July 2013, 22:47
@fixy – If Vergne is no longer in contention for the seat, how is it fair for Red Bull to give him track time with the RB9 when they know he won’t race for them.
That’s not fair. That’s just cruel.
Fixy (@)
19th July 2013, 11:17
@prisoner-monkeys it would have been a fairer assessment bewteen the two to see how faster (if at all) Ricciardo actually is. It would have been more useful than testing Sainz who has even less chances than Vergne to take that seat.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
19th July 2013, 11:32
@fixy – They’ve had eighteen months to compare Ricciardo and Vergne in the Toro Rosso. A half-day test in the RB9 isn’t going to tell them anything they don’t already know. And it’s pretty clear that Vergne has been out of the race to get that seat for some time now.