We’re only two weeks into January, but already some Formula 1 teams are set to begin track running with their race drivers. No, they’re not testing their new cars out — that’s still limited to the official pre-season test, race weekends, some tire testing and a few promotional filming days — but they are focusing on very specific programs.
On Monday, Haas announced its line-up for its first-ever Testing of a Previous Car (TPC) event, having chosen to head to Jerez in the south of Spain for two days this week. It will give a day to each of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon as part of the schedule, with Ritomo Miyata also getting some laps at the end of each day.
The car being used is the VF-23, the team’s 2023 car, that now qualifies for TPC running as it is a two-year-old chassis.
Teams are allowed to use cars from any of the three seasons prior to the previous season — so now we’re in 2025, that means a 2021, 2022 or 2023 car. The car can only run parts that were used during at least one competition or official test in the year it was designed for, meaning there can be no updates added, with certain exceptions for cost reasons requiring formal approval from the FIA.
Whenever a team wants to run a previous car under its TPC program, it must give the FIA at least 72 hours’ notice so it can appoint an observer if it wishes. The information to be given to the governing body and all competitor teams includes the type of car running; the drivers being used; the purpose of the activity; the circuit or venue; and the proposed dates and hours that the test will take place.
For Haas to provide such a public level of detail about its testing plans is very much welcomed, but it isn’t the approach that all teams take. Some have been running extremely active TPC programs for a number of seasons, while others barely ever run a car. And while there might be footage or imagery and comments from a young driver who is getting their first outing in an F1 car, by the time it becomes a more regular occurrence it’s sometimes tougher to find out about.
That’s partly due to the different ways that TPC track time can be utilized. Mercedes, for example — a team that will also be on track alongside Haas in Jerez this week — has been completing a number of different tests with Kimi Antonelli (pictured above) to prepare him for his Formula 1 debut this coming season.
Antonelli only stepped up to F2 last year and turned 18 in late August, so in evaluating his potential for a seat on the 2025 grid, Mercedes was putting him behind the wheel of older machinery early in 2024. Antonelli drove a mix of the previous generation of car and the 2022 Mercedes, with a works team that has everything under its control finding it somewhat easier to run multiple chassis than a customer.
That’s not to say customers can’t do the same, with McLaren giving opportunities to a wide variety of drivers through its TPC program. That’s included first outings for the likes of IndyCar stars Alex Palou, Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward in a 2021 car in the past, but also for its simulator drivers to help with collaboration for its factory-based support facility.
However, in Mercedes’ case, the sheer number of tests it was carrying out with Antonelli — team principal Toto Wolff suggested it would reach double figures — and intent to prepare a young driver meant it wasn’t a program it would look to highlight on every occasion.
Similarly, Alpine has regularly provided opportunities to its young drivers through a TPC program, with Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan both big beneficiaries on that front. The new reserve trio of Franco Colapinto, Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa have already been named as drivers who will similarly get time behind the wheel this year.
For newcomers like Jack Doohan, TPC offers invaluable opportunities in an era where F1 seat time is tightly restricted. Steven Tee/Motorsport Images
The race drivers also get outings at times too, offering the ability to sharpen their own skills early in a year, but also provide a benchmark for the less experienced driver’s performances.
Such early-season outings are not uncommon either, with Ferrari and RB particularly well-placed to take advantage of the opportunity to shake off some rust. Both being Italian-based teams, they have a number of tracks in close vicinity — Ferrari’s own Fiorano circuit but also Imola and Mugello — that can be used in what is generally more reliable winter weather than their British-based counterparts enjoy.
January or February TPC running allows the drivers to gauge their own fitness levels, as they will often remind you that no workout regime can truly replicate what it’s like to drive an F1 car. Of course, the brain also gets recalibrated to the speeds and forces that a driver is subjected to, while beyond that procedures can be practiced in the form of pit stops, launches, race simulations and mock grids.
You might think it was only a month ago that the previous season ended and surely personnel haven’t forgotten what they need to do in such situations, but the off-season is the most likely time that there will be a change in personnel. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari is set to lead to him having a TPC outing next week, but for new mechanics and engineers there’s a chance to replicate certain aspects of a race weekend, too.
One of the reasons the Haas partnership with Toyota was deemed as such a major step for Ayao Komatsu’s team was the ability to carry out training for potential future race team members. Due to its size, Haas does not have a huge amount of personnel beyond its core car crews and little in the way of rotation, leaving it exposed to any availability issues or departures.
With the Toyota collaboration, it has the resource — in terms of numbers — to run a TPC program, that will also provide a learning environment in case back-ups are needed during a season. And while there may or may not be a long-term plan for Toyota to find itself back in F1, for now it also means there are opportunities for Toyota-backed drivers such as Miyata to gain experience.
In a cost cap era when testing of current machinery is so restricted, the TPC program has become a key component for many teams, and a crucial entry point for drivers to spend time in modern machinery.
