Formula One news

Test ban will favour Ferrari - says BAR technical chief

Geoff Willis

Less testing will not cost less money. That's the warning of BAR's Geoff Willis as F1 teams approach agreement on a 'substantial' reduction in '05 test track activities, according to a source.

Willis worries big teams like Ferrari will simply turn their attentions to 'factory-based rigs' and simulators which ''in the end are ... more expensive. ''I'm sure the well-funded teams are already making those investments.''

Indeed, the Silverstone paddock whispered that Ferrari has just spent $10m on 'transient gearbox dynamometers' built by an American-based (MTS) company. ''It's going to put us at a disadvantage,'' said BAR's technical director.

Toyota's Mike Gascoyne thinks Willis' fears are unfounded. The renowned technical director said if 'factory based' rigs were more effective ''then you would do that now. But we don't because testing is most effective.''

He added: ''We do hundreds of days testing [a year]. It doesn't add to the spectacle or generate income.''

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