Dennis Against Williams' Sportscar Testing Plans
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has revealed his disapproval of Grand Prix rivals Williams' decision to exploit a loophole in the regulations over the winter months.
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has revealed his disapproval of Grand Prix rivals Williams' decision to exploit a loophole in the regulations over the winter months.
The Williams team, who this season won their first Formula One race in nearly four years, plan to use a sportscar to test their BMW engine during the testing ban in November and December. But Dennis disagrees with the plans and said: "I think it is not within the spirit of the changes.
"To understand what the testing ban is about you have got to go back to the roots of why it took place - the main reason is to save money," Dennis added. "It required a unanimous agreement, it was put in place with over a year's notice and at the end of the day you have unanimous agreement."
It has been suggested that Williams are just threatening the plans to enforce a change in the regulations, and Dennis backed up that suggestion.
"I don't think the gain of building and modifying a sportscar to run a Formula One engine and gearbox is worthwhile - the difference you have between that and a well executed transient dyno is minimal," Dennis said.
"I can understand the motives, but that doesn't balance off the fact that this is a major commitment."
Share Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments