Nine teams start a three day test in Silverstone this morning, the first since the week before the Monaco race in May.
They will be preparing for the forthcoming race in Magny Cours on July 1, followed by Silverstone a week later.
Absent from Silverstone will be Honda and Super Aguri. Honda will run a private test in Spain as they unveil a B-spec car which they hope will pull them out of their current crisis.
Most teams are expected to try out significant upgrades. Ferrari, who came third and fourth behind the McLarens last Sunday say they were encouraged by the fact that they had narrowed the gap from the Woking squad – and Kimi Raikkonen actually set the fastest lap. They will try out what they say will be major aerodynamic (and suspension?) modifications to try to get back the superiority they enjoyed at the opening race in Melbourne. Experiments on set-up are also on the cards as the team tries to improve its qualifying pace.
"We have a completely different aerodynamic package to try at Silverstone" Ferrari's head of track operations, Luca Baldisserri said.
A German motorsport magazine Auto-Bild-Motorsport, speculated this week that Michael Schumacher could return behind the wheel as a test driver in a further attempt to get the scuderia back on track, although that does not appear to be likely.
McLaren's Ron Dennis has warned that his squad, now 35 points ahead of Ferrari, will not rest on its laurels and he expects his drivers to be faster in France.
Forecasters expect rain on all three days of the test, particularly on Thursday, but the teams have said there will be no extension of the test to Friday.
They will be preparing for the forthcoming race in Magny Cours on July 1, followed by Silverstone a week later.
Absent from Silverstone will be Honda and Super Aguri. Honda will run a private test in Spain as they unveil a B-spec car which they hope will pull them out of their current crisis.
Most teams are expected to try out significant upgrades. Ferrari, who came third and fourth behind the McLarens last Sunday say they were encouraged by the fact that they had narrowed the gap from the Woking squad – and Kimi Raikkonen actually set the fastest lap. They will try out what they say will be major aerodynamic (and suspension?) modifications to try to get back the superiority they enjoyed at the opening race in Melbourne. Experiments on set-up are also on the cards as the team tries to improve its qualifying pace.
"We have a completely different aerodynamic package to try at Silverstone" Ferrari's head of track operations, Luca Baldisserri said.
A German motorsport magazine Auto-Bild-Motorsport, speculated this week that Michael Schumacher could return behind the wheel as a test driver in a further attempt to get the scuderia back on track, although that does not appear to be likely.
McLaren's Ron Dennis has warned that his squad, now 35 points ahead of Ferrari, will not rest on its laurels and he expects his drivers to be faster in France.
Forecasters expect rain on all three days of the test, particularly on Thursday, but the teams have said there will be no extension of the test to Friday.