Pre-season tests

rremedio · Post by **rremedio** » 13.03.2007, 00:06

Does anyboby know in which year F1 teams started to make collective tests together the way they do nowadays? And which was the track used?

Regards!
Roberto

Greyhead · Post by **Greyhead** » 13.03.2007, 00:11

Good question! I know in the 1980's they all used to gather in Brazil a week before the Grand Prix (the season usually started in Rio at that time) and have a big group test there but I don't know if they did it before then.

TdK · Post by **TdK** » 13.03.2007, 20:11

I follow F1 from 1994 - 1996 --> till now, as i know they always tested together from the time they found out testing... :wink:

Greyhead · Post by **Greyhead** » 13.03.2007, 21:47

I know that in the 1960's and 1970's the season didn't end till the very end of the year so there was very little time to test in between the end of one season and the beginning of the non-championship races at the start of the next. Plus teams didn't usually bring new cars out at the start of the year so there was little need to test. Pre-season testing didn't really begin in earnest till the late 1970's as new cars were brought out more often (although teams often wouldn't race them in the first "flyaway" races away from Europe) and tyres took on more significance as downforce levels increased. An interesting footnote to this is that in 1976 James Hunt didn't turn a wheel for McLaren until the first qualifying session of the first race, and he went on to take the title!