Snow, Circuit de Catalunya, 2018

Moving tests to Bahrain would increase costs, warns Haas

2018 F1 season

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Holding pre-season testing at a hotter venue such as Bahrain would present teams with additional costs, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned.

Cold conditions at the first pre-season test of 2018 at the Circuit de Catalunya has reopened the debate about moving tests to a venue where the conditions are reliably better, such as Bahrain.

Snow, Circuit de Catalunya, 2018
2018 F1 testing day three in pictures
However Steiner warned the cost and logistics implications of holding tests so far from the teams’ bases would be significant.

“For us, for example, the first year we were here two years ago it was talked about going to Bahrain or to Abu Dhabi,” he told RaceFans and media in Spain. “That would be a no-no if you are new and you need to fly something somewhere.”

“You guys have no idea how much stuff is coming here every day. Every day there is stuff coming for the car. It’s brutal.”

“From England or from Italy, they just put it in a van and they drive eight hours, they are here. You can put it in a plane, put it in hand luggage. We’ve got people going up and down every day.”

F1’s wealthier teams would increase their spending even further if testing was moved to Bahrain, Steiner predicted.

“If it’s in Bahrain, you need to get prepared, it’s the same for everybody. That’s one of the issues. But the next thing is some teams would put a jet on every night to go back and forward.”

Steiner expects the debate will subside if next week’s test is held in better conditions.

“The thing is if next week we have a good week, four days of normal temperatures, 16, 17, 18 degrees, sunshine, we will have forgotten until we decide where to go next year.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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15 comments on “Moving tests to Bahrain would increase costs, warns Haas”

  1. so the circuit of catalunya is the only one available in the south of europe? Interesting

    1. Not long ago, team used to test in Jerez.
      I believe weather conditions there are more reliable.
      Why not go back there?

      1. @banana88x, exactly what I was going to say. According to Wikipedia:

        The last snowfall recorded in the city happened in February 2, 1954.

        Better than Barcelona where, on average, it snows once every couple of years.

      2. Why did they even stop testing in Jerez? Last time was 2015 then they just suddenly stopped and I can’t remember why. That would be a logical circuit to test at again.

        Or Algarve as suggested below. They tested there last in 2009 I believe.

        1. Jerez was being destroyed as the cars went by iirc

        2. @deej92, part of it came down to cost cutting, since it came as part of the overall reduction in the number of pre-season tests. However, I believe that part of it was that the teams felt that the characteristics of Jerez meant it wasn’t a particularly useful test venue either – there had been proposals to drop Jerez for several years before they finally chose to drop it.

    2. There is the circuit in Algarve, Portugal. It has the necessary grading to host F1 tests. But maybe the fact that the teams have already so much information on the Barcelona track makes it a better benchmark with which to measure their cars’ performance.

      1. Algarve is an awesome track! Nice flowing and andulating. Love it.

      2. It’s true about all the data they have, but it would be pertinent to move it of Algarve: it’s an amazing track and has more stable weather.

        In a couple of years they would have a good library of data just like they have in Barcelona (and, considering the resurfacing, the changes of profile in some corners, the changed curbs, etc.. not all data can be used for a straight comparison with previous years).

        I think it would also be interesting for the tests to be performed on a track not included in the championship: it’s nice for the fans to see the cars on a different track, and keeps the teams guessing a bit for the championship.

        1. Testing should be at a circuit that does not hold F1 anyway. Gives one extra track a chance to get fans in, does not ruin the F1 race at the track testing is at as teams do not have as much info.

          On Haas comment, the cars cannot run properly so how far do you go with cost cutting, not race to save 100% costs?

          I would vote for the Algarve track, one of the best modern tracks in the world but cannot afford to host a race but testing gives them a chance to host F1 cars, F1 teams can actually run and it’s not far from teams factories.

  2. So he doesn’t like testing in the colder locations because its useless, and he doesn’t like testing in hotter locations because it costs too much…

    I don’t like Guenther Steiner, such a moaner

    1. Perfect fit with Grosjean …

      Sh*t up!

    2. Yeah, he and Grosjean deserve each other haha. Magnussen is getting infected by them too.

    3. @boli I’d bet you almost every team principal feels the same way as Guenther. Stop your moaning.

  3. Testing in Bahrain would be expensive…. test days rained and snowed off (an exception admittedly) are surely a far greater waste of resources?

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