Mercedes driver George Russell and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso have both stated that the current rules for pre-season testing need to be addressed, with the drivers only receiving a day and a half in their new cars before the first race.
Thursday morning marked the start of what is a relatively short pre-season test, with it to be concluded on Saturday after three days of running.
Whilst three days of running isn’t out of the ordinary, Russell has questioned why the teams can’t use both cars, with the British driver believing that allowing both cars to be used would be the “best compromise” to please the drivers.
“I understand and recognise why we do that. I think three days with two cars would probably be a good place to be,” he said, as reported by Motorsport.
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“And I think that would probably be the best compromise for all of the reasons why we’re trying to limit it but right now one and a half days per driver I think is too few.”
Russell went on to add that no other sport in the world has a pre-season testing like F1, with the 25-year-old arguing that tennis legend Rafael Nadal wouldn’t enter a major competition with just a day and a half of practice.
“We were fortunate to do the [Silverstone filming days] last week, but had we not, that would have been getting on for 12 weeks out of the car from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain,” Russell continued.
“Could you imagine Rafael Nadal spending 12 weeks without hitting a ball and then going straight into the French Open with one and a half days of training? You know, it just wouldn’t ever happen.”
Alonso echoed the points made by the Mercedes driver, with the double World Champion admitting that due to such minimal running before the season, he won’t “be 100%” in the opening few rounds.
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The Spaniard believes the current pre-season format is “a little bit unfair” and would like to see adjustments made, something that won’t happen, of course, until 2024 at the earliest.
“This year we have only one day and a half testing in Bahrain, so I am aware that I will not be 100% in Bahrain, not in Jeddah, maybe not in Australia. So that’s a little bit unfair, maybe,” Alonso said.
“I think that is the only sport in the world that you do one day and a half a practice and then you play a world championship. There is no other sport in the world [that does that].”