 Had there been not enough entries via that process, the final three teams in the 2000 season received invitations to compete in the order they finished in the championship.The time for a practice session was lengthened, two 45-minute qualifying sessions held in late afternoon took place the day before the event and the overall race distance was decreased to .The first official pre-season test took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari from 14 to 15 February 2001.