Formula One Teams' Association chairman Martin Whitmarsh has stated that the teams are preparing for six pre-season tests ahead of the 2011 season, with a deal over a pre-season Bahrain test sorted out between the teams over the Spa weekend.
As part of F1's ongoing cost-cutting measures, the amount of pre-season testing available for the teams has reduced significantly in recent seasons.
For 2010, teams were only allowed to test at four official test sessions, a total of 15 days on the track for the teams and their new cars.
But after a series of discussions and meetings over the Spa weekend, FOTA chairman Whitmarsh revealed afterwards that the amount of pre-season testing could be set to increase.
The McLaren boss revealed that the teams were set to run an extra test prior to the start of the 2011 season in Bahrain at the Sakhir circuit, which would join a post-season test at Abu Dhabi and the four traditional tests at Jerez, Barcelona and Valencia in forming the 2011 test schedule.
"We've agreed there will be six tests during the winter and, probably, the last one will be in Bahrain, but it hasn't been quite agreed yet," Whitmarsh explained to Reuters.
"I personally would like to see more testing, but I am respectful of the fact that there are teams still hurting. We want to make sure that it's cost effective for the small teams."
The bigger teams have long campaigned for a return to in-season testing, after it was banned at the start of 2009, but Whitmarsh admitted that there was little hope for that sort of testing returning in the near future.
"We've now got at least six tests in the winter, so that's a step further forward. What we haven't got at the moment is agreement to test during the season," he muttered mournfully.
"I'd like to see a couple of tests, but we've made some progress. To have six tests in the winter is more than we've had in recent years."
The 2011 pre-season tests will take on extra importance as they represent a brief window of opportunity for the teams to get used to the new-for-2011 Pirelli tyres, which will debut at the Abu Dhabi young driver test in November.
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