BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve has welcomed the prospect of two-day Grand Prix weekends - but says the Formula One World Championship should also be expanded from 17 to 25 races.
The former champion has backed proposals by FIA president Max Mosley to be put before team bosses later this month aimed at cutting costs. Changes could include restricting each car to just one engine per race weekend, or even changing the Friday practice schedule.
However Villeneuve says the sport's ruling body should go even further - and abolish all testing, as he claims it does not benefit Formula One sponsors or the fans of the sport.
"I think the idea of a two-day weekend is great," said Villeneuve. "If that was the case I would like to see 25 races a year.
"We have too much testing and not enough racing. We could have three races a month and then two weeks off - three races in a row then 10 days off with no testing."
Villeneuve, who retired from Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after qualifying 13th, argued that swapping testing for more races would not reduce team's development opportunities and would provide better value for all those involved in Formula One.
"More races and less testing would mean the same mileage on the cars and the same costs, but more publicity and more fun for everyone," he said.
"It would be better for sponsors because they don't get any publicity out of testing. The place they get it is from racing and the television coverage."
The current F1 calendar consists of 17 rounds held between March and October with a three-week break and testing ban in August.
Last year a new winter testing ban was introduced, preventing the teams from doing any on-track development between the end of the season and the start of January. This was designed to cut costs, though many claimed it had exactly the opposite effect by forcing teams to adopt use costly simulation technologies.
The former champion has backed proposals by FIA president Max Mosley to be put before team bosses later this month aimed at cutting costs. Changes could include restricting each car to just one engine per race weekend, or even changing the Friday practice schedule.
However Villeneuve says the sport's ruling body should go even further - and abolish all testing, as he claims it does not benefit Formula One sponsors or the fans of the sport.
"I think the idea of a two-day weekend is great," said Villeneuve. "If that was the case I would like to see 25 races a year.
"We have too much testing and not enough racing. We could have three races a month and then two weeks off - three races in a row then 10 days off with no testing."
Villeneuve, who retired from Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after qualifying 13th, argued that swapping testing for more races would not reduce team's development opportunities and would provide better value for all those involved in Formula One.
"More races and less testing would mean the same mileage on the cars and the same costs, but more publicity and more fun for everyone," he said.
"It would be better for sponsors because they don't get any publicity out of testing. The place they get it is from racing and the television coverage."
The current F1 calendar consists of 17 rounds held between March and October with a three-week break and testing ban in August.
Last year a new winter testing ban was introduced, preventing the teams from doing any on-track development between the end of the season and the start of January. This was designed to cut costs, though many claimed it had exactly the opposite effect by forcing teams to adopt use costly simulation technologies.
