The controversial decision to hold the first tests of the new Formula 1 era behind closed doors deprives fans of a unique and unrepeatable opportunity.
Two weeks to the start of the new technical era of F1
There are just two weeks to go before the test week of the new generation of Formula 1 cars, or rather five full days of running, which will take place at the Montmeló circuit, just a few kilometres from Barcelona. From Monday January 26 to Friday January 30, the new single-seaters will hit the track at the Circuit de Catalunya for the first on-track laps of the new season.
Expectations are extremely high because, as is well known, these will be completely new cars, designed according to the requirements of the new technical regulations. These rules have effectively retired the temperamental ground-effect cars, introducing a significant number of innovations in aerodynamics, power unit architecture and even chemistry, considering the new sustainable fuels that will be used.
The reflection we want to share with you today is not so much about the technical content itself, but rather about the fact that, as already communicated some time ago by the FIA and Liberty Media, this first test session will take place behind closed doors, with no access for fans or media and without the publication of lap times. To see official images and photos, or to go to the circuit and sit in the grandstands, it will be necessary to wait for the two Bahrain test sessions at the Sakhir circuit, scheduled for February 11–13 and February 18–20.
What are the real reasons behind the closed-door Spanish tests?
The reasons why the first test session has been scheduled behind closed doors have never been explained with complete clarity by the FIA. It can be assumed that there are several factors at play. One is the desire of the teams to maintain a certain level of confidentiality regarding the design of such revolutionary cars, at least in terms of technical solutions rather than their external shapes.
Another possible reason is the intention to avoid media exposure in case the new cars were to suffer serious reliability issues and manage to complete only a limited number of laps. This is an understandable position in a Formula 1 environment where major automotive manufacturers have their reputation at stake. A further, and likely decisive, factor could be economic, with Bahrain reportedly investing vast sums of money to secure worldwide exclusivity for the first public test sessions.
All of this is understandable and, to a certain extent, predictable. However, understandable does not necessarily mean acceptable. We are on the eve of the greatest technical transformation these cars have ever undergone, a change that will alter Formula 1 forever. On this revolution, the FIA and Liberty Media have staked an enormous amount, supporting it with an intense and wide-reaching communication campaign over recent months.
So why would Liberty Media, which repeatedly claims to listen carefully to the global Formula 1 fanbase, choose to shut its doors to fans on such a unique occasion? Barcelona is a relatively easy and affordable destination for a huge number of European fans, who represent the historical core of Formula 1 supporters. It is certainly more accessible than Bahrain.
This could have been an extraordinary opportunity to promote the “new Formula 1” directly to its spectators and fans, bringing them closer to the new era from day one. The grandstands at Montmeló would very likely have been well attended for this test session. Just as surely, the first video clips of driver reactions after stepping out of the cars, captured by the media on site, would have generated millions of views.
Who is not eager to find out whether Lewis Hamilton will finally have a Ferrari that truly suits him, or perhaps whether he will adapt to it? Who is not curious to see if the Red Bull Ford will live up to Max Verstappen’s expectations, or whether Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin will really be the revolutionary missile everyone is anticipating?
An unwelcome lockdown
These are the human and technical stories that have been the lifeblood of Formula 1 for decades. Yet, on the eve of what promises to be the richest season ever in terms of such narratives, a curtain of silence is drawn and a media blackout imposed, at least for the Barcelona days. This approach clashes sharply with the supposed new wave of Formula 1 communication, which for years has aimed to attract new fans from all over the world, and has largely succeeded.
That success has come not only through the races themselves, but also through products such as Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” and even films like the recent “F1” starring Brad Pitt. Thinking about it carefully, one might start to suspect that, according to Liberty Media, fictionalised products are perfectly acceptable for the mass audience, while the authentic birth of the new Formula 1 is something to be protected, for reasons unknown, from the eyes and ears of those who love the sport, whether they have followed it for one month, one year or an entire lifetime.
For another month, it seems that fans and professionals alike will have to make do with distant, grainy images of the new cars, captured from hundreds of metres away. Design choices will once again be inferred from shadows and contrasts, enlarging images to the very limit of individual pixels.
Returning to the supposed reasons behind this self-imposed “lockdown” in Barcelona, it is genuinely difficult to find them convincing. The risk of embarrassment due to poor reliability appears minimal. Aside from the fact that there would be nothing shameful about technical issues in such a context, it is hard to imagine teams reliving the troubled and stuttering tests seen ahead of the 2014 turbo-hybrid season, which also took place in Spain and marked the last major technical revolution in Formula 1.
Twelve years have passed since then, and technology, along with calculation models and reliability testing methods, has advanced enormously. Failures have become rare even in seasons featuring 24 Grands Prix. Technical departments now have simulators and dynamic test benches capable of running entire subsystems through countless virtual kilometres. As a result, predictions of drivers spending long hours stuck in the garages during these tests are very likely to be proven wrong.
The issue of privacy also seems, frankly, rather weak. It is true that without accredited photographers or television cameras there will be no official images to analyse. However, teams have long employed in-house photographers, often wearing full team uniforms, whose role also includes capturing images of rival cars on track or in the pit lane. This will remain entirely possible, despite the likely use of protective screens in front of the garages when cars are inside.
Cars hidden, sponsors exposed
Adding to all this is the fact that Formula 1 itself will not fail to provide plenty of images during this information drought, but mostly of team uniforms and new liveries, all to the benefit of sponsors. We have already seen this with Audi’s debut in Barcelona, a day that was historic in its own way, yet one from which fans and media were left only with polished photos of the German team’s newly sponsored clothing.
Of course, this is not Audi’s fault, as it must comply with the embargo imposed by Formula 1 until the Bahrain tests regarding images of the new cars. It is undeniable, however, that Liberty Media has decided, for reasons that are not only difficult to share but also hard to fully understand, that the dawn of the new Formula 1 should not be visible to the eyes of its many passionate fans.
These are the same fans towards whom Liberty Media professes, at least in words, unconditional love and eternal gratitude. A real shame.
Leave a Reply