FIA says no to top teams’ test plans

(GMM) The FIA has stepped in to prevent Red Bull and Ferrari from modifying the end of their pre-season preparations for the 2012 season.

With the last Barcelona test scheduled for Thursday through Sunday this week, both top teams decided to shift their programs by a day — meaning they would instead run between Friday and Monday.

It is believed Ferrari wants more time to manufacturer new parts, while Red Bull is keen to run some components more privately.

But on Tuesday, Red Bull released its test schedule confirming it has "reverted back to its original testing dates" between Thursday and Sunday.

Ferrari followed suit, explaining that the change is because of a "new clarification" of the testing rules "sent to the teams late yesterday evening".

The FIA apparently told the teams that running on Monday 5 March is not allowed because it is too close to Melbourne.