An earlier start to the 2016 Formula 1 season will be a financial burden on constructors, according to Williams performance chief Rob Smedley.
F1’s governing body, the FIA, have released a new provisional calendar for 2016 with changes to the initially proposed start date.
The season opening Australian Grand Prix was originally scheduled for April 3, however the new provisional calendar has the Albert Park race pencilled in for March 20.
The change in start comes after calls to re-extend the summer break between the Hungarian and Belgian GP’s to three weeks.
The earlier start has forced F1 teams to reconsider their winter programme, as the first pre-season test is now due to commence in Barcelona on February 22.
Whilst Smedley is in no doubt his team will be ready for the first test, the former Ferrari engineer believes that such changes will cause teams financial difficulties.
“It has an impact, there’s no doubt about that,” said Smedley.
“But we have rejigged all the plans now, we have sat down and looked at an operational plan to get us from this point to the first day of the first test.
“That plan was already done and under way and we’ve had to redo that. It’s just going to be more costly for us.
“It won’t make a difference to when everyone sees the new car or in what state the new car runs or how it runs in the first test or how it runs in Australia – those plans won’t change.
“It’ll just be more costly to us and all the other teams because you have to rejig your manufacturing plans because you don’t want to change your design plans.
“You would subcontract some of it out, especially the composites and bodywork.
“We will probably be a little bit shorter on parts in the first test then we would like to be but that is just something we have to live with.
“You can’t magic parts out of the air. We will probably get to first few days with less than operational quantities.
“The change has big ramifications.”
Discussion about this post