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Brawn insists that missing young drivers-test is significant

Brawn insists that missing young drivers-test is significant

  • Published on 26 Jun 2013 09:59
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Ross Brawn has hit back at Red Bull's "spin", after the reigning world champions said sitting out the young driver test next month will not hurt Mercedes. At the end of the recent 'test-gate' hearing, the FIA tribunal banned Mercedes from attending next month's test for rookie drivers at Silverstone.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said that is hardly a penalty at all. "You can't really try anything in the young drivers test," he said. "The drivers at the wheel are just learning about formula one, while Mercedes had three days (in Barcelona) with their regular drivers."

However, team boss Brawn has hit back at Marko's claims by insisting that missing the test is in fact "significant". "To downgrade the test and to make out it is not significant is not correct, and just an attempt by teams concerned to distort the facts," he is quoted by the Telegraph. "I think we have a very tangible loss."

Brawn suggested missing Silverstone will not simply equalise Mercedes' advantage of having run with race drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg with the 2013 car at Barcelona in May. "It is a different league quite frankly to have a three day test, over 1500 kilometres, with new parts, with race tyres that are those we race," he said. "It is unfortunate the spin that some teams are putting on the punishment that it is not significant."

Brawn's view is even backed by Jonathan Neale, the managing director of the similarly Mercedes-powered McLaren team. "With the paucity of track testing that we have at the moment, missing the young driver test is obviously problematic," he told reporters in a Vodafone teleconference. "They (Mercedes) will be sorry to miss it."

Nonetheless, even serving the 'test-gate' penalties will likely not end the finger-pointing at Mercedes, with Hamilton admitting that a good result this weekend will be inevitably traced back to the highly controversial test. "People will jump to conclusions I am sure," he is quoted by British newspapers. "We have had a couple of positive races because those circuits have been easier on tyres. That's just made it look like we have had a benefit from the Pirelli test," added the 2008 world champion. (GMM)

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Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
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Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia
Albert Park
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Japan
Circuit Suzuka
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China
Shanghai International Circuit
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24 - May 26
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Monte Carlo
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Austria
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United Kingdom
Silverstone
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Hungary
Hungaroring
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Belgium
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Netherlands
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30 - Sep 1
Italy
Monza
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Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
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United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
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Mexico
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Brazil
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United States of America
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Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan Circuit Suzuka
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China Shanghai International Circuit
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Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Brazil Interlagos
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GB Lewis Hamilton 44
Lewis Hamilton
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