In recent days, Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda have been arguing their case over where Formula 1 should test in 2017.
Mercedes and Pirelli are keen to hold at least one preseason test in the warmer country, with the 2017 cars set to be drastically different to their 2016 predecessors, however, Horner counters this with the financial argument, claiming several teams could not afford the extra expense of travelling to the Middle East.
In a time when cost saving is talked about almost as much as the racing, holding a preseason test in Bahrain rather than Spain seems to be a decision against the tide. By allowing teams to pay for better conditions surely it will only strengthen the divide between the rich and the poor in Formula One.
If you have to worry about how much your spending, though, spending nearly half a million dollars more on preseason testing to go to Bahrain for three days instead of Spain isn’t really an option.
The nearly half a million dollar figure comes from Force India deputy team principal, Bob Fernley.
It’s currently understood that teams could be given the choice to test in either Spain or Bahrain. That seems like a fair option. Mercedes, Ferrari, and those who can afford to head to the desert track at Sakhir can test there whilst the more cash-strapped teams can do the short hop to Barcelona.
But that would just give yet another advantage to the teams that can spend the money.
In a world where there are no money constraints, a test in Bahrain would be ideal for preparing for the new season. The warm, consistent weather means teams are more likely to get through the testing they need to do in the three-day slot before the start of the 2017 season.
Choosing to test in Barcelona, teams would run the risk of losing hours of track time due to rain, and cool weather may mask some of the hidden problems in the new cars.
Poorer teams already have to jump more hurdles than the richer teams, their budgets not allowing the same amount of testing, research, and development than those with cash to spare. But pre-season testing put them on a level playing field. The starting positions weren’t equal, but the conditions in which teams could fight to improve those positions were.
Having the option to spend more money to get better testing conditions tilts that playing field in the favour of Mercedes, Ferrari, and anybody else who can afford it.
So many things in Formula One are limited so that those who can spend more money don’t have an advantage over those who can’t. Why should this advantage be allowed?
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