Jaguar Switch to Friday Testing Option

Jaguar have changed their minds and decided to test at Grand Prix weekends in exchange for limited testing during the Formula One season, the team said today.

"The management have done their sums very carefully on this, weighed up every alternative and we are convinced that this gives us considerably more bang for our buck," said spokesman Nav Sidhu on Friday.

Renault, Jordan and Minardi were previously the only teams to take up the so-called Friday option, giving them two hours of testing with three cars on race Fridays but limiting them to 10 days during the season.

The Jaguar about-turn unites the three Ford Cosworth-powered teams alongside Renault, although a well-placed Formula One source suggested that the French carmaker were also considering their position and may go back to full testing.

"As far as I know there is no change at the moment," a Renault spokeswoman said. "I can't say whether there will be in the future."

Ford-owned Jaguar, seventh overall last season, had been planning to carry out around 46 test days during the course of the year, 20 of them before the start of the season.

The team said they had now been offered the chance of testing for 20 days during the season with just one car instead of 10 days with as many as they wanted, an option that meant little loss of track time.

"Within the new framework, we can now have 20 one-car test sessions which, to be honest, isn't too different to what we had planned in the first instance," said Sidhu.

Cost Cuts

Jaguar have one of the least experienced line-ups in Formula One, with Australian Mark Webber and Brazilian rookie Antonio Pizzonia. Pizzonia in particular can be expected to benefit from the extra two hours at circuits such as Monaco while Jaguar, who have made staff redundant and cut costs over the last year, will gain logistically.

"This benefits Jaguar in several ways," said Sidhu, who denied the move was motivated by cost cutting. "First and foremost, our drivers will now have an extra two hours to familiarise themselves with the circuits and in Antonio's case, this is invaluable given his debut season as an F1 driver.

"In addition, it makes our logistical operation more efficient in that we are not having to continuously transport cars from races to tests. Instead, we can have one car dedicated to testing and three others dedicated entirely to the race schedule. There is no transferring of cars, equipment or people."

Teams had to make their minds up about testing by November last year, with the Friday option dependent on three teams signing up for it.

However, it was suggested subsequently by Minardi boss Paul Stoddart that the door would remain open to other teams to take up the option until the season starts in Australia on March 9.

"The new framework will also allow us to better exploit the Michelin tyre development programme," said Sidhu. "And if you look at races like Monaco, Canada and Australia where teams do not test prior to the race weekend, two extra hours on the Friday is far better for us than, say, six hours of testing around Valencia."