Bahrain pre-season test plan scrapped

Oct.22 - The push to have pre-season testing take place in Bahrain early next year has failed.

Two tests in Barcelona had been provisionally scheduled, but Pirelli - strongly supported by Mercedes - was pushing for at least one outing in the guaranteed warmer and drier climes of Bahrain.

"The way the regulations are written, to test outside of Europe would require the unanimous consent of all of the teams and that doesn't exist," Red Bull's Christian Horner said in Austin.

Indeed, the teams got together with Bernie Ecclestone on Friday and agreed that the Bahrain issue was now off the table.

But as a compromise, Bahrain has been pencilled-in as the first venue for 'in season' testing once the 2017 season gets underway.

"Thankfully common sense has prevailed," said Horner.

Auto Motor und Sport claims that costs were not the only point of contention.

The German report said Red Bull wants to run what is rumoured to be a particularly long-wheelbased 2017 car on the ideal Barcelona layout, while Mercedes favoured Bahrain amid rumours of a special new cooling system.

And even the argument that Pirelli needs warm and dry running for the development of its bigger 2017 slicks was dismissed by Force India's Bob Fernley.

"Many people forget what winter testing is for," he said. "It's not about tyres, but about the new cars."

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