At the end of January all teams head to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the opening private tests ahead of the new season. Behind closed doors the new cars will be unleashed on Spanish tarmac for five days. There are, however, rumours that a few teams will be forced to miss the opening test day. Some entrants are said to be running behind schedule and need extra development time back at the factory.
The five-day winter tests in Barcelona get underway on 26 January, but some teams may not arrive at the circuit until later. These sessions sit outside the FIA’s official test window scheduled for February in Bahrain. In Spain every entry is entitled to three test days, so teams spread their running across the full period. That has fuelled speculation that not everybody will be on track from 26 January.
The teams that do roll out at the first green light in Barcelona may build in a rest day for repairs or setup work. Others are likely to hang back and join later, better prepared. According to Motorsport’s Italian division there are, in addition, teams simply behind schedule and therefore unable to show up immediately — for example because the car isn’t yet ready to run or essential parts are missing. Time will tell how each outfit allocates its track time in Spain.
