(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1 does not start into the 2020 season until the beginning of July, but the engines will start to roar again next week. The Mercedes team has announced a two-day private test at Silverstone for Tuesday and Wednesday. Valtteri Bottas will pilot the Silver Arrow on the first day, world champion Lewis Hamilton on the second.
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Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will test in the old W09 zoom
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The Mercedes W09 of the 2018 season is being driven because private test drives in current cars and previous year’s cars are prohibited by regulations. According to Article 10.2 of the Sporting Regulations, the test is considered a “Testing of Previous Cars” (TPC). Only tests that are between two and four years old may be used in such tests.
This also means that you cannot test new parts or drive with current engines or tires. So this is not a test of the car, rather it is about, for example, that the pilots who last sat in the car during the test in February get used to the forces that work in a Formula 1 car.
The test is also important for the team in order to get used to the processes again and also to the new regulations such as distance rules, face masks and the like. Similar plans from other racing teams are not yet known, but it can be assumed that Mercedes will not remain the only team to insert a test before the season opener in Spielberg.
Update: According to information from ‘Formula1.com’ Ferrari is also planning a test in the coming weeks. The exact date and location have not yet been determined.
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