08/01/2007
NEWS STORY
With a three-week gap between the opening round (Australia) of the 2007 Formula One World Championship and the second (Malaysia), the teams have opted to carry out a three day fly-away test at Sepang.
Confirmation of the Malaysian test follows news of two similar tests at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain at the end of February.
Due to the two large 'breaks' at the start of the season, the other being due to the dropping of the San Marino Grand Prix, the teams have been pushing for tests away from the traditional (Spanish) venues. All eleven teams will be present at Sepang, while only a couple of teams are confirmed for Sakhir at this stage.
Confirming the test, the first of its kind at the Malaysian track, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) press officer Azhar Ghazali told The Star: "It is further recognition of our efforts to make the circuit in Sepang a hub of motorsports in Asia.
"Almost all the F1 teams are based in Europe," he continued, "and it would make sense for them to commit their personnel to test the cars in Sepang instead of flying them back to the other side of the globe."
Emphasising the importance of the test, Ghazali said: "Most of the F1 teams also have their own test drivers. But the main drivers are expected to take part in the testing session in Sepang because of the official status."
Testing for the 2007 championship begins next Tuesday (16), at both Jerez and Valencia.