Sebastian Vettel believes the FIA has been unfair in allowing Fernando Alonso to participate in post-season testing next week while restricting some of his future Formula 1 rivals from taking part.
Formula 1 teams will stay on at the Yas Marina Circuit for one day of running on Tuesday, which was initially set aside for young drivers, and at which teams can field up to two cars.
However Renault lobbied for 2021 signing Alonso to be able to take part and the FIA approved his participation.
Red Bull’s Sebastien Buemi and Alfa Romeo’s Robert Kubica have also been allowed to enter the test but those who raced in 2020 have been denied access.
Previous post-season Abu Dhabi tests have been assigned as tyre tests, rather than young driver tests, and some teams and drivers have run new signings, when contracts have enabled them to do so.
Vettel is among a group of drivers who are switching teams for 2021 and believes the FIA’s call on the situation lacks fairness and clarity.
“I think if you allow Fernando then basically you have to allow everyone,” he said.
“I think the governance should take a fair decision which I don’t think in this case they did, otherwise Carlos [Sainz], some others and myself might have had the opportunity to test.
“I don’t know the background why you just do case by case but I haven’t looked at the full explanation, but it’s also a bit pointless because we’re not allowed to test.”
Sainz used the 2018 test to get acclimatised with McLaren and had hoped to sample Ferrari’s SF1000 ahead of joining the marque for 2021.
“There hasn’t been any logic explained to me,” said Sainz. “Because first of all, I think there’s very little logic behind it. And I think not many people really understand what’s going on.
“Of course, I’m disappointed not being able to test, but I have to accept it, and turn the page. I will make sure I’m prepared as much as I can be for next year.
“For me as it’s only one and a half days testing for each driver next year, the logical thing would have been to open a bit the hand, to some or to all of the drivers who wanted to take part in the Abu Dhabi test.
“Especially knowing it’s two cars per team, to open one of the cars to at least fit the driver into a car, knowing that next year is the same chassis, and see that everything is more or less working well – the safety aspects from the jump out test, to the to the fitting of the car itself, are obviously primarily important.
“We would have been able to sort out and get a bit of a head start on and unfortunately, it’s not happening.”
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