Gian Carlo Minardi has accused the FIA of blindness in terms of its failure to introduce rules whereby teams are forced to use young talent.

The current testing rules, introduced in an attempt to save money and make Grand Prix weekends just a little less predictable, have not only hit the teams and star drivers in terms of restricting mileage and the development of new parts, they have hit up and coming talent also. While some reserve drivers get the occasional Friday outing and others are restricted to simulator work, the current test rules mean there are few openings for youngsters working their way up through the ranks.

Gian Carlo Minardi, whose team gave many youngsters their first taste of F1, most notably Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber, has hit out at the short sightedness of the situation arguing that teams should be "forced" to use new talent in Friday morning sessions at Grands Prix.

"Thanks to the preparatory championships, the boys now get ready for the leap (up), their young age allowing them to easily adapt the methods of F1. But we must give them the opportunity to compete and to create a healthy competition with those who are the senators.

"The results of Vettel, Kubica, di Resta and Alguersuari are under everybody's eyes and the FIA should take account of this," he continues. "My recipe is very simple: to force all teams to use a young man during the first session on Friday morning.

"Today, some teams do so only out of necessity," he claims. "Imposing it as a fixed rule on the track at the same time we could have 12 rookies (one per team). In this way the choices of some teams will not be dictated by the budgets brought as a dowry, but the boy from the prize list.

"Teams that think they have a new talent on their hands will think twice before renewing the contract for a pilot at an advanced age. Today the average age (currently 29y 5m) is rising because there is no spare. The team is afraid to invest in a young man unable to perform tests (and therefore) are faced with many unknowns. At that point, the balance leans toward the experience."