Formula 1 drivers have criticised the expected plan which will allow for the 22nd race on next year’s calendar.
This week it was confirmed that Mexico will remain on the schedule until 2022 and it also appears Spain is on the brink of re-signing for one more year at least.
F1 team bosses agreed to what will be the longest season in history last Sunday in Hungary, however it is understood the extra race weekend will come at the expense of two winter test days, taking the number down to just six before Australia.
“I disagree with that completely,” Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat told RaceFans. “To be honest we already have too little testing.
“I’m not too keen to drive in the simulator, I would rather do a lot more test days and travel, even, but this is not the way Formula 1 should be. We should be driving.
“This is the only sport where we practice so little outside the race weekend. We need this. I’m not saying as much as it was in the past, free testing, but we shouldn’t get less than now I think.”
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Haas driver Romain Grosjean was a little more open to compromise, suggesting the amount of in-season testing could be cut rather than in the winter.
“Two-times-four days was already very little,” he said. “Winter testing is great: For the teams, for the fans, for everyone. The fans can come, they can see much more. I think winter testing is cool. I’m not in favour of reducing it.”
Finally, Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly suggested the number of pre-season days should go up rather than be cut.
“For me, I like driving F1 cars so if there could be 10, 12 days it would be great,” he said.
“After that, I think you need to find a compromise [for] the people. At the end of the day, it takes a lot of people to run the car, mechanics, engineers to get everything ready.
“I think in the past it was clearly a lot more intense and probably too much. Now I think with eight days it seems to be quite good so I will not put any less.”
RaceFans revealed the current dates being touted were February 19-21 and 26-28 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.