Theissen: "Friday reserved for test drivers"

Mario Theissen, boss of BMW-Sauber, intends to propose reserving Friday free practice sessions exclusively for test drivers in the future. According to the head of the Bavarian team, the total cancellation of Friday's tests put the very existence of the "third driver" category at serious risk.

In an interview with the New York Times Theissen underlined the fact that teams have and will always need a reserve driver capable of replacing the starters in case of need, but without testing these same drivers risk being completely unprepared. «How can you trust him to get into the car? It is also a question of safety" declared Theissen. Another concern expressed in the same interview concerns the fact that the closure of the role of third driver could prevent many promising young drivers from accessing the premier class. A case in point concerns Rubens Barrichello, who apparently remained at Brawn GP only because Ross Brawn didn't have the chance to test the young Bruno Senna on the track.

These are the reasons why Theissen would like to reserve Fridays for test drivers, mindful of the fact that Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica arrived in F1 as BMW test drivers. Furthermore, the proposal would once again increase the importance of the role of third driver, which would also restore prestige to highly respected drivers in the sector such as Alex Wurz.

Lorenzo Bellini