Impossible in today’s Formula One was possible in the past of Formula One. There was a time that any time could test on any time he liked. To improve their cars, to give youngsters their first taste of Formula One, or simply to cash. Because testing was all about talent and money back in the days. Most of the drivers that tested are long forgotten or never arrived in the
Scuderia Minardi and later Minardi F1 Team, the small Italian team we all love. They did what many team didn’t they survived 20 years in the Formula One on a tight budget. Their hay days were in the early 1990s when Gustav Brunner designed the M193 and Aldo Costa the M191. However, always with a tight budget it meant that many drivers were able to fulfil their dream to a
We write the 28th of October 1996 when Minardi arrives at Misano for a youngster test. Andrea Boldrini (1996 Italian F3 champion), João Barbosa (1996 runner-up champion Italian F3) and Esteban Tuero are the drivers that will take place behind the wheel of the Minardi M195B. Two years later Esteban Tuero would debut for Minardi with the M198. Only to retire just before he would test with the Minardi M01
You can’t imagine it now though there was a time a lot of drivers tested in the Formula One. Or teams tested in between races to test new aerodynamics or new engines. Or just to cash extra money by letting unknown drivers, who will never arrive, experience the Formula 1.As many of these drivers are long forgotten, and there isn’t a real overview of the test drivers, its all bits
You can’t imagine it now though there was a time a lot of drivers tested in the Formula One. Or teams tested in between races to test new aerodynamics or new engines. Or just to cash extra money by letting unknown drivers, who will never arrive, experience the Formula 1.As many of these drivers are long forgotten, and there isn’t a real overview of the test drivers, its all bits
Stand-in drivers, the drivers we mostly forget about though play sometimes a huge roll for teams. They are often at short notice in the car for most various reasons. During the covid pandemic, we have seen several stand-in drivers, well not really stand-in like Russell taking place in the Mercedes because of Hamilton or Kubica instead of Kimi. However, do you remember Anthony Davidson who stand-in at Minardi in 2002
