F1: De la Rosa says test reduction bad for the sport

Ferrari Formula 1 development driver Pedro de la Rosa says the planned reduction in testing for next season is bad for the sport.

F1 will halve the number of in-season tests from four to two for next season, before rolling out a reduction in pre-season testing in 2016. De la Rosa, who drove Ferrari's F14 T for the first time at Silverstone on Tuesday, reckons drivers will be lost to F1 if it continues to follow this direction.

"It's a disappointment generally for drivers," de la Rosa said, when asked about the effect of reducing testing. "You just question if this is going in the right direction.

"I come out of Maranello every week having been two days in the simulator and I see a nice track there called Fiorano just empty with no cars. We have the simulator to train you a bit, but there's nothing like the real car.

"I feel if a tennis player cannot train every day and then suddenly you are thrown into the final of Wimbledon against Djokovic, how would you feel? I feel like that because the other guys are racing every two weeks and I am not.

"I feel a bit sad about this [reduction in testing] because it will mean drivers like me will just disappear, and not only that but youngsters will not arrive. A bit of agreed testing for all the teams would be good for the sport."

Ferrari junior Jules Bianchi, who took over testing duties for the Scuderia from de la Rosa on Wednesday, added: "Definitely it's a shame because it's good to test. For me it's important because in every sport in the world you are able to train when you want, but in F1 it's expensive and you cannot do that. We'll have to deal with it [the change] but it won't be easy."