10/12/2020
NEWS STORY
Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz express dissatisfaction at their exclusion from the Young Driver test while Fernando Alonso gets the all-clear.
Though both drivers are with new teams next season, both have been refused permission to take part in Tuesday's one-day test despite the fact that the green light has been given to Alonso to participate.
With the row continuing ever since approval was finally given last week, Michael Masi clarified the situation by saying that drivers who had participated in the 2020 world championship season were excluded, a move which merely further muddied the waters.
Talking in Abu Dhabi today, Vettel and Sainz both expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling.
"There hasn't been any logic explained to me," said Sainz who joins Ferrari next season. "Because, first of all, I think there's very little logic behind it," he added. "And I think not many people really understand what's going on.
"Of course, I'm disappointed not being able to test," he admitted, "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," he continued, referring to the fact that next year's pre-season test consists of three days in Barcelona, "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.
"Those are the things that, thanks to the Abu Dhabi test, we would have been able to sort out and get a bit of a head start on and unfortunately, it's not happening. And obviously I'm disappointed, but nothing I can change."
"I think if you allow Fernando then basically you have to allow everyone," added Vettel. "I think the governance should take a fair decision which I don't think in this case they did, otherwise Carlos, 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," he added, "but it's also a bit pointless because we're not allowed to test."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Yas Island, here.