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Teams question worth of Friday practice session
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-31 17:13
MELBOURNE - Formula One teams have called on the sport's governing body to
consider changing the Friday practice session after the top three times in the
day's two practices for the Australian Grand Prix were set by test drivers.
World champion Fernando Alonso drove well within his limits to settle
for fifth spot while Michael Schumacher was content with sixth place, as the
main race drivers took it easy to conserve their engines and tyres for Sunday.
Jenson Button of Britain set the fastest time of actual race drivers,
but was still nearly four-tenths of a second behind his Honda team mate and test
driver Anthony Davidson.
All of the teams adopted a similar cautious
approach, which they said was brought about the new rule changes.
Under
the new regulations, the times from Friday's practice session have no bearing on
Saturday's official qualifying session although they still have to use the same
engines and tyres they plan to use during Sunday's race.
Renault
technical chief Pat Symonds said Grands Prix weekends may as well be cut from
three days to two because it was pointless having a practice session with teams
driving below full speed.
"We should think more laterally and ask
ourselves, do we need a Friday session?" Symonds told a news conference.
"I am personally more in favour of having a two-day Grand Prix event and
use Friday for testing.
"I think that all too often in Formula One
there's too much heritage, too much tradition and the idea that we have to have
three days of running.
"It took us ages to realise we didn't actually
need two qualifying sessions, things like this."
GOING SPARE
Williams' technical director Sam Michael said he wanted the
rules changed allowing teams to use their spare engines on Friday so they could
drive at maximum speed without risk.
"It could be a free test day with
two two-hour sessions or something like that, or you could have a test engine
and put your race engine back in on Friday night," Michael said.
Honda
chief Nick Fry said he would prefer Friday's session to be scrapped and replaced
by a series of public relations exercises allowing fans to mingle with the teams
and drivers.
"The teams would actually be there but it would be much
more outward facing, giving members of the public and fans in general more
access to the teams," Fry said.
"I think we're all in favour of racing
more and testing less and doing things which have got wider appeal than what we
do at the moment."
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