Sauber F1 Team‘s team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has questioned the value of the in-season test at Silverstone in which her team did not attend for financial reasons.
Sauber announced earlier this month that they would not test at Silverstone because what was described as “cost effectiveness.”
The Swiss team also missed the other test in Barcelona in mid-May, due to having no upgrades to test and because they did not have a young driver signed to the team that met the young driver requirements.
Sauber are closing in on new investors to end the financial difficulties, with the deal set to be announced in the summer.
“In any business, unless you get subsidies for it, you look at what it costs you and what the benefits are,” said Kaltenborn. “I just wonder what this test is going to get you in terms of next year [when there is a significant regulation change].
“I’m not finding reasons not to be there, I’m just looking at our situation. I see what we have in the pipeline, I know what the costs are, and I make the call.
“I wouldn’t do it differently if we had more funding, because you have to see what’s coming and where we are. If we’re delayed on that, it makes no sense to test.”
Sauber did test a new rear wing during practice at the British Grand Prix, and it is set to be introduced at the next race in Hungary.
“It’s not only things financially – for me it’s just how you run your business,” added Kaltenborn. “We have a few things coming and we’re confident they will work because in the past we have done it like this.
“We don’t have more, and any other decision would be a careless one.”
