Haas F1 team to skip post-Hungarian GP test
Haas has confirmed it will not participate in the two-day Formula 1 test following next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix
The last in-season test of the year is due to take place at the Hungaroring on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the race (July 31 and August 1), just ahead of the two-week summer shutdown.
But Haas has chosen to forego the running, preferring to stay at base on the eve of the two-week summer shutdown.
Team principal Gunther Steiner referred to the run of five races in six weeks as one of the principle factors behind the team's decision.
"Instead of participating in the test in Hungary, Haas is using the time to analyse the data it received from its recent Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone, from past grands prix and from our simulator work," said Steiner.
"Between the data our drivers have been able to gather that is directly applicable to their driving styles in our cars, and this current run of five races in six weeks, we determined our time was best spent at the factory."
Autosport understands the decision not to test in Hungary was taken last month and is not related to the Silverstone antics of development driver Santino Ferrucci (pictured below testing for the team in Hungary last year).
The young American Formula 2 racer was banned for four races after an altercation with his Trident team-mate Arjun Maini and for holding a mobile phone in his car.
There are four in-season test days this year, and regulations state that teams must run a driver who has not competed in more than two F1 races in their career for two of the four days.
Race drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen both did a day each in the first in-season test at Barcelona in May.
Next week's Hungaroring race will be the fifth in six weeks, and the test afterwards will continue to stretch team's personnel and resources.
Williams F1 driver Stroll linked with Force India switch for 2019
Hamilton snubbed approach from rival F1 team during Mercedes talks
Aston Martin starting "too far to the back" to score strong F1 results
Aston Martin Formula 1 team principal Mike Krack admits that the Silverstone outfit has to address its qualifying issues to be able to score more than the occasional point.
Mercedes: Flashes of F1 form are “annoying” trait of W13
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin admits that the W13 has an “annoying” characteristic of showing glimpses of real potential in Formula 1.
Las Vegas GP date leaked, F1 race could be paired with Abu Dhabi
The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix night race has a preliminary race date of 16-18 November next year that could form a glitzy season-ending back-to-back with Abu Dhabi.
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last
Why all signs point to F1’s Monaco special relationship continuing
OPINION: With more potential venues than there are slots in future calendars, rumours have been circulating that the Monaco Grand Prix could be a casualty of F1’s expansion into new markets. But MARK GALLAGHER thinks this is highly unlikely