Ducati Monster Forum

Gotta say I do agree. It's a bit of a publicity stunt, give a young up & comer a chance.


http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21701.html (http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21701.html)

it just reminds us of the stupidity of the no testing rule in F1.

I agree with them.

I don't disagree with Williams, but a young up-and-comer would be pointless in this position. Massa will be coming back, so Ferrari needed someone who wasn't looking for a permanent seat. The F60 is a freakin' brick, so it needs some major development. Schumacher is one of the best test and development drivers ever. Plus, this is a big publicity boost to help promote F1 in a down time. It's a win-win for everyone.

But they already have two test drivers that would know the car inside out. Yes it is a publicity stunt, I'm thinkin Schu may embarrass himself by not being the driver he once was, I hope I'm wrong.  :-\

Could be. I don't think he's going to win, but I do think he'll provide valuable input. With the ban in testing, input from the race drivers becomes more and more important. That's why Renault have made such big gains, because Alonso has a similar reputation of being able to provide valuable input into the car's performance.

Publicity certainly does play into it, but I don't think it has to be all negative.

if those two test drivers were good enough to race, they wouldn't be test drivers.

That's being a little broad isn't it.

$$$$$$$$$ There have been a few drivers in F1 that shouldn't have been there in the first place except for the money they were bringing with them.

Gotta go to a meeting, brb.  ;D

and then there's Canepa.  ;D

being a good test driver doesn't mean you're a good race driver.  a test driver puts in lap after lap after lap.  their ability is consistency and technical feedback.  the point of the test driver is to put the car in a race pace and then eliminate (or normalize) driver from the equation so the "parts" can be tested.

schumi is a genius at race setup.  that is also different from testing (although obviously similar).  he knows how to get the best out of the car for the weekend.

the rules in F1 are so messed up it's almost not worth talking about.  personally, I wish they would have 90% less rules.  interpretation and innovation is the beauty of F1, not the "everything regulated" formula we have today.

But do they?  When was the last time either had a cheek in the F60?  Even most of the off-season testing was done by Felipe and Kimi.

I think Gene and Badour are still on the payroll, but with the test ban, they're either not working a lot or they're focusing on Ferrari's road and sports racing cars instead of the F60.