A new era of Formula One got underway this week at the Circuit de Catalunya with all 10 teams taking to the track for the first test of the preseason.
Although it’s too early to call a definitive order, it’s clear that some teams have made a stronger start than others and it was no surprise to see familiar names at the top of the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest time of the test overall. However, Ferrari and McLaren appear to have made a significant step and at this stage cannot be ruled out.
But before getting too excited, it’s worth remembering these cars are just at the start of their development curve, and even if you could accurately compare all 10 in Spain, that competitive picture could change dramatically with updates at the second test in Bahrain.
Even so, we have grouped the teams into a rough order and listed the reasons for hope and concern for each outfit.
Contents
The front-runners
Ferrari
Laps: 439
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc, 1:19.689 (C3 tyre)
Reasons for hope: The new-season hype has been building around Ferrari ever since the covers came off the new F1-75 at Maranello last week. What lay underneath was a truly unique take on F1’s new regulations with valleyed sidepods and a distinct needle nose design. There was a feeling that the team had either got it very wrong or very right by carving its own path, but the early signs suggest the car is competitive and might even be the pick of the bunch.
Right out of the box, the F1-75 was capable of setting quick lap times and did so without resorting to short runs on soft compound tyres. The fastest time on the second day, set by Leclerc, was registered on the first lap of an 17-lap stint on the C3 compound, meaning it was anything but a low-fuel glory run. That lap time remained as the team’s best effort of the week, as it only briefly attempted laps on the softer C4 compound on the final day as the track dried after Pirelli’s wet tyre test.
But more impressive than that was the long-run pace….
Source : espn
