A proposal which will be put forward to the teams in Bahrain this weekend is aimed at increasing the amount of running during practice whilst encouraging the use of rookie drivers.
Pirelli will ‘reward’ an outfit with an additional set of tyres if they opt to run a rookie driver during first free practice, instead of their regular driver.
The move is aimed at ensuring teams go out during the first 30 minutes of practice – which is when the more durable set can be used before being handed back to the supplier.
Many teams already run their third drivers during specific FP1’s in order to gain them some experience. However only Caterham has done so in 2013 after Ma Qing Hua was given the opportunity in China on Friday.
The idea will need to be approved by all teams in Bahrain before it can be introduced at the next race in Spain. It currently has the backing of Bernie Ecclestone, Pirelli and Force India’s Bob Fernley who put the idea forward.
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