Todt: In-season testing shall return....

FIA Boss Jean Todt has announced that he thinks the ban on complete in-season testing has been a failure. Therefore he has announced that he will ask the teams to agree to a rule which allows limited in-season testing. So The Formula 1 teams will be asked to support the move from the FIA president. He has arranged a proposal to allow three lots of two-day testing for discussion at the next meeting of the Formula 1 Commission, which will take place in Valencia (At the European GP) on June 23, with the hope that it will be ratified for introduction in 2012.However, If teams are not in favour of the change in regulations, then Todt has indicated that he will force it through for 2013 instead. Todt told AutoSport Magazine: - "For me, it is a stupid decision to have no testing during the season," Todt said during a media briefing in Turkey on Sunday morning. In the past it was crazy to have unlimited testing during the year, but to go from unlimited to completely banned, it is not the right measure. It doesn't allow young drivers to test, it doesn't give the opportunity for young drivers to learn some experience in F1, and I will make sure that this situation will change for the future. It cannot come back to free testing, but teams now have simulation facilities in the factory, so we are not talking about [a testing ban] being a cost-saving for the big teams. So we will push for a few days of free testing during the season as soon as possible but by respecting the rules."

When asked when he thought that was likely to be: "I would have loved to have done it in 2011, but we could not impose it as there was no reason to impose it on safety grounds. So, it will be in 2012 if we get enough [support]. It is something that we are going to present at the next Formula 1 Commission which will be on the Thursday in Valencia, and if not then, we can implement it in 2013 without any agreement. At the latest it will be 2013, but hopefully people will accept a few days testing during the season from next year on."

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