There are only two weeks left in January, but already some Formula 1 teams are planning to start hitting the track with their race drivers. No, they are not testing a new car. This is still limited to official pre-season testing, race weekends, some tire testing and promotional shoot days, but it is focused on a very specific program.
On Monday, Haas announced its lineup for its first Previous Vehicle Testing (TPC) event, set to head to Jerez in southern Spain for two days this week. As part of the schedule, a day will be given to each of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, while Ritomo Miyata will also run a few laps at the end of each day.
The car used is the team’s 2023 car, VF-23, which is now eligible to run TPC as it is a two-year-old chassis.
Teams may use cars from the three previous seasons. So now it is 2025. This means a 2021, 2022, or 2023 vehicle. A car can only operate with parts that were used in at least one competition or official test in the year it was designed. This means that updates cannot be added except for certain cost-related exceptions that require formal approval from the FIA.
Whenever a team wishes to run an older car under the TPC programme, they must give the FIA at least 72 hours’ notice so they can appoint an observer if they wish. Information provided to the governing body and all competing teams includes the type of car being driven. drivers used; purpose of the activity; a circuit or venue; and the proposed date and time at which the test will be conducted.
While it’s very welcome that Haas provides a public level of detail about their test plans, it’s not an approach all teams are taking. Some have been running extremely active TPC programs for multiple seasons, while others have barely run their cars. And while there may be videos, images and comments from young drivers getting into an F1 car for the first time, they are sometimes harder to spot as they happen more frequently.
This is partly due to the variety of ways TPC track time can be utilized. For example, Mercedes, the team that will get back on track with Haas in Jerez this week, has been completing various tests with Kimi Antonelli. (pictured above) This is to prepare for his Formula 1 debut this season.
Antonelli moved up to F2 last year and turned 18 at the end of August. Mercedes therefore put him behind the wheel of the older machine in early 2024 while assessing his potential for a 2025 grid seat. Antonelli drove a mix of previous generations. In the case of the car and the 2022 Mercedes, it is somewhat easier to run multiple chassis than it is to the customer, as there is a work team that can control everything.
Just because McLaren offers opportunities to a variety of drivers through its TPC program doesn’t mean customers can’t do the same. This included past IndyCar stars Alex Palou, Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward getting their first outings in the 2021 cars, as well as simulator drivers to help collaborate on factory-based support facilities.
However, in the case of Mercedes, the numerous tests carried out with Antonelli (team principal Toto Wolff) suggested they would reach double figures, and the intention to prepare young drivers meant that this was not a program to emphasize. In all cases.
Likewise, Alpine regularly provides opportunities for young drivers through its TPC programme, with Oscar Piatri and Jack Doohan both being huge beneficiaries of this. A new reserve trio of Franco Colapinto, Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa have already been named as drivers to drive similar times this year.
For newcomers like Jack Doohan, TPC offers a valuable opportunity in an era when F1 seat times are severely limited. Stephen Tee/Motorsports Images
Race drivers also go out occasionally, giving them the ability to hone their skills early in the year, as well as providing a benchmark for the performance of less experienced drivers.
These early season outings are not uncommon, with Ferrari and RB in particular well placed to capitalize on the opportunity to shake off the rust. As both are Italian-based teams, there are several tracks close by, such as Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit, as well as Imola and Mugello, which generally allow for more reliable winter weather than the UK-based teams.
A January or February TPC run allows drivers to gauge their fitness level. Because it’s often a reminder that no exercise regime can really replicate what it’s like to drive an F1 car. Of course, the brain re-adjusts to the speed and force a driver is subjected to, and further procedures can be practiced in the form of pit stops, launches, race simulations and mock grids.
You might think it was only a month ago that the previous season ended, and surely the staff hasn’t forgotten what to do in such a situation. However, the offseason is when personnel changes are most likely to occur. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari will mark the start of the TPC race next week, but it will also give new mechanics and engineers the opportunity to recreate certain aspects of the weekend’s racing.
One of the reasons why the partnership between Haas and Toyota was seen as a major step for the Ayao Komatsu team was the ability to conduct training for potential future race teammates. Because of its size, Haas does not have a large workforce outside of its core vehicle crew and has little in the way of rotation, leaving it vulnerable to availability issues or departures.
Our collaboration with Toyota will give us the resources (in terms of numbers) to execute the TPC program, which will also provide a learning environment in case we need backup during the season. And while Toyota may or may not have long-term plans to return to F1, for now it also means there’s an opportunity for Toyota-backed drivers like Miyata to gain experience.
In an age of cost caps that now severely limit testing of machines, TPC programs have become a core component of many teams and an important entry point for drivers to spend time on modern machines.
