JULY 3, 2013

Frijns happy as young drivers survive test shakeup

Robin Frijns is relieved he will still test for Sauber at Silverstone later this month.

F1 has responded to the tyre-exploding Silverstone crisis by turning the forthcoming 'young driver test' into a full-blown tyre development session.

It means not only inexperienced drivers are now eligible to test at Silverstone, but also race drivers.

However, the youngsters will continue to have an important role at Silverstone, because the race drivers are only allowed to conduct specific tyre testing.

The FIA will have inspectors at Silverstone, ensuring that only rookies are conducting real development running.

Dutchman Frijns, Sauber's 21-year-old reserve driver, confirmed to formule1.nl that he is still scheduled to run on days 1 and 2 of the Silverstone test.

"It will be a tough test but I am very happy that I will get the chance to drive the 2013 car," he said.

"There should be several new components to test," Frijns added.

(GMM)