F1 reportedly considering return to 3-day pre-season testing for 2023 season

F1 is reportedly considering a return to three-day pre-season testing from the 2023 season onwards. This will give teams even less track time to fine-tune their cars before the first race of the season.

According to a report by Spanish outlet SoyMotor, FOM is planning to do away with a two-week-long testing program after 2022. Due to financial constraints brought on by the pandemic, F1 first ran a shortened three-day testing for the 2021 season, the shortest pre-season testing period in the sport’s history.

Meanwhile, pre-season testing for the upcoming season will follow a more traditional schedule, albeit with a major change. Testing will be split into two parts and will be held at different venues across two weeks. This will leave teams with plenty of time in between the tests, allowing them to fix any major gremlins they may encounter.

Over the last decade, F1 has been slowly moving away from testing to stop teams with vast resources from out-developing their competitors using private tests. In 2019, testing was reduced to just six days spread across two weeks, from the previous period of eight days.

Teams were, however, given more leeway for the 2022 season due to the sweeping new regulation changes. The FIA will now look to clamp down on testing from the following season to reduce costs and force teams to make use of alternative tools.

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F1 signs long-term extension with US Grand Prix promoter

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is set to host the United States Grand Prix until at least 2026 after its promoter signed a new extension with FOM earlier this week. Despite its notorious reputation as a car breaker due to its violent bumps, the track has nevertheless remained a favorite among F1 drivers and fans alike.

Being yet another Herman Tilke-designed track, it incorporates elements inspired by many classic circuits such as Silverstone and Istanbul Park. With F1’s growing popularity in the Americas, especially after the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, COTA draws in vast crowds for the United States Grand Prix.

In 2021 alone, the event was attended by over 400,000 people — the largest crowd of any circuit on the calendar — across the four-day race weekend. While Miami is scheduled to join COTA in hosting a second Grand Prix in the US (along with a proposed third race in Las Vegas), the former still remains a valuable asset for FOM in the Americas.