F1 News, Reports and Race Results

FIA adds Abu Dhabi and Hungary to 2017 testing agenda

The FIA has confirmed that Abu Dhabi and Hungary will complement Bahrain in this year's in-season group test schedule.

Bahrain will kick off the in-season sessions on April 18/19, but Hungary has come about as a switch from Silverstone, and will take place on August 1/2.

Teams will have a free agenda at these tests, but will have to run young drivers who have competed in fewer than three Grands Prix on two of the four days.

Abu Dhabi will once again host a post-season test on November 28/29,  but for "the sole purpose of providing all competitors with the chance to test the tyre specifications to be used the following season," according to the governing body.

Pirelli will therefore trial its 2018 compounds before the December 1 extended deadline set by the FIA yesterday.

F1 2017 group test plans

Barcelona           Feb 27 - March 2

Barcelona           March 7 - March 10

Bahrain               April 18 - 19

Budapest            August 1 - 2

Abu Dhabi          November 28 - 29

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

The brutal mirror: Herbert’s no-filter advice for Lewis Hamilton

Few names in Formula 1 carry the same weight as Lewis Hamilton. Seven world titles.…

3 hours ago

Beltoise's one-off masterclass and 'Jour de Gloire'

One-time Grand Prix winner Jean-Pierre Beltoise was born on this day in 1937. The late…

5 hours ago

Rubber side up: Jos Verstappen’s Sunday somersault in Wallonia

Jos Verstappen’s efforts in this weekend’s  Rallye de Wallonie took a dramatic turn on Sunday…

6 hours ago

Mercedes ‘ticking all the boxes’ but Russell dismisses title hype

Three races into the 2026 season, and Kimi Antonelli and George Russell find themselves in…

6 hours ago

A grid of opportunity: BYD considers leap into Formula 1!

In Formula 1, whispers often travel faster than the cars themselves. And lately, one name…

8 hours ago

How Hadjar engineered his leap to ‘weird’ Red Bull seat

During his 2025 rookie season in F1, Isack Hadjar carried himself with a calm, almost…

9 hours ago