Well done for taking it seriously and being offended, you can collect your "Lacking Sense of Humour" badge in the morning when you finish your NRA for dummies meeting.
While he is distracted we can sneak over to America and steal back the country and make them pay tax on tea again! MWAHAHAHAHA
Unclebenny, Circuits have to have 1T licences to hold F1 tests. Places that have 1T licences are all F1 race circuits, Imola, Jerez, Estoril (?), Paul Ricard, Ricardo Tormo Valencia, Mugello and Algarve.
If a circuit is running ALMS or IndyCar, I think it would be Grade 2 (the one below 1T) unless ALMS are using ACCUS rules which allow cars on tracks the FIA wouldn't allow.
There's no requirement for an F1 car to test in official FIA sanctioned F1 tests. They can be tested on private circuits (a la Ferrari), a circuit with full sanctioning in a non-FIA/national governing body sanctioned event, all trackdays, some general testing sessions. Or it can just be brought to any general testing session that will allow it, if you really wanted to you could test your latest F1 car each Wednesday morning at Mallory for £90.
Indeed. An F1 team can test pretty much anywhere they like, FIA be damned. Obviously though they would want to go somewhere reasonably safe. There are lots of possibilities in the eastern US:
Barber Motorsports Park (Alabama)
Mid-Ohio
Road America
VIR
Road Atlanta
Hell, they could even go to some short courses like Lime Rock Park or Roebling Road. It doesn't need to be as long as an average GP circuit to be a useful test site. And of course, they could use the infield sections of the many many speedways. Charlotte Motor Speedway would be the obvious choice there. And don't forget the already-existing F1-spec road course at Indy.
Isn't there some kind of noise restriction as to what is allowed on track-days? I know there is at Oulton.
Also : I think duke_toaster was talking about OFFICIAL F1 test days, like Barcelona, Algarve etc, but yea they can test anywhere they like, but what is the point testing at somewhere like Sebring with shitloads of bumps, or Road America which is a dirty club circuit. Their best bet would be that of which Lateralus suggested - Indy.
America is sparsely populated so I guess noise restrictions are less of an issue, alternatively just bribe a load of Italians and run your test track in the middle of a town!
Montreal wouldn't work, it's in the middle of the river, so the cars can be easily heard on both sides. People didn't mind it too much for a week-end, but for longer periods of time, it's not viable. Besides, it's also under snow ^^
Anything south enough to be used during the winter would work, really.
Oh! Say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed, at the green flag's first showing.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
'nto the armco we watched, were so massively plowing.
And the exhaust's red glare, tires burstin' mid-air,
gave proof through the smoke, that our team just misfared.
Oh! Say does that star spangled racecar still spin,
o'er the slickness of the grass, so it's sure they'll ne'er wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'insert ridiculous adlib'iiiiiiiiiin.