The current restrictions on pre-season testing are “ridiculous” and are primarily responsible for this season’s three rookie drivers making a lot of mistakes in the first two rounds of the 2021 campaign, according to ex-F1 driver Marc Surer.
F1 teams only had three days of pre-season testing ahead of the 2021 campaign – half of what they had last year.
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And, with drivers also losing valuable on-track time due to FP1 and FP2 being cut 30 minutes shorter each this year, Surer believes rookie drivers in particular need more testing to help them get acclimated to Formula 1.
“The problem is the testing regulations. How can you expect a young driver to settle into a car in one-and-a-half days?” Surer said in an interview with Formula1News.co.uk.
“This is ridiculous for a young driver to get used to Formula 1 and feel confident in a car.
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“Because three days testing with one car means one-and-a-half days is the maximum a driver can get. This is not how a World Championship should be organised.
“All three rookie drivers are making mistakes. I think it’s just wrong not to give them more time in the car in testing,” he added.
Asked for his thoughts on F1 rookie Nikita Mazepin’s first two races in the pinnacle of motorsport, Surer said it’s too soon to determine whether or not the controversial Russian has a future in the sport.
“I’m not sure yet if he does belong to Formula 1,” he said.
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