How the F1 teams fared after two weeks of testing

Understanding the pecking orderThe Australia Grand Prix is just days away, and all the Formula 1 teams are busy testing their new cars in Spain. And after two weeks of testing, four days each in Jerez and Barcelona, the teams have gathered enough data to understand how their cars are actually behaving on the track.Although another test is still scheduled before the start of the season, but the first two outings have given us enough evidence of how the cars are performing. The teams have been extensively testing to click the up laps and cover the required mileage they need to gather data and information for the new season.There hasn’t been an enormous change in the pecking order from last year, but few teams have made some positive strides over the winter. Mercedes is still looking like the team to beat this season, and their dominance is set to continue in 2015.But unfortunately, some teams, especially McLaren, are having some early issues with their respective packages. So let us take a peek at how the grid is shaping up for the new season and try to take a stand on how the teams will fare against each other. Here follows a team-by-team form-book analysis after the two pre-season tests.

#1 Sauber Ferrari

Sauber had a forgettable 2014 season, during which the team failed to score a single championship point. The teams new car, the Sauber C-35, hopes to be the Swiss outfits savior, and right from the word go; the team was busy setting the timesheets on fire during the first test at Jerez. But the word in the paddock was that the Sauber boys were doing glory runs (with low fuel, weight alteration and full power). The team, of course denied this, but by Barcelona, the venue for the second test, their pace actually faded away.

Taking one rookie and one fairly inexperienced driver was always going to be a gamble for Sauber. But having the third and eleventh fastest time, and getting 700 laps in mileage, in both the tests, is a huge improvement from last year. However, credit for that might go to the newly ameliorated Ferrari power unit, rather than the car itself. Whatever might the reason be, there is still a general feeling that the team will once again make up the rear of the grid, despite the early promises.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 700

#2 Lotus Mercedes

The 8 days of testing in Spain for Lotus were all about forgetting last season and learning everything about their new Mercedes Power Units. The team at Jerez had endured a very difficult week because of various issues with the car and the engine. But at Barcelona the team packed the punch and racked up lap-times and mileage. In fact, the team ended fastest three times in four days, albeit with runs on the softer tires.

But this is huge news for the whole team because last season, both the Lotuses barely managed to scrape themselves out of danger during the first part of qualifying, regardless of the tire selection. Hence topping the timesheets is certainly a good sign that all systems are working efficiently at Lotus and breaking into the top 5 might just be their goal for this year.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 551

#3 Toro Rosso Renault

New drivers and a young car; or the other way around

After 2 testing-weeks, Toro Rosso is the second most successful team on the grid in terms of lap numbers and mileage. This is very encouraging for the squad, and with two rookie drivers in their fold, gaining lap numbers was always a big priority.

In terms of lap-times and drivability, the car did not look like the ‘pick of the pack’. That is a cause of concern for team boss Franz Tost, who described the new STR 10 as ‘the best car the team has ever built’.

Despite that, Toro Rosso, with a very modest budget, has always surprised many people with their pace and ability to end up in the midst of points regularly. But with two young and inexperienced drivers at the helm, with one being 20 and the other being 17 years old, the results might not come that frequently this season, at least during the first few races. Despite this; maybe the next Sebastian Vettel or Daniel Ricciardo will be found in this car. And this is what the Red Bull Corporation is expecting from the team.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 764

#4 Force India Mercedes

The two race drivers at the 2015 liverly launch

Force India came to Barcelona after missing the first test at Jerez because of the team’s 2015 car was not ready by then. But unfortunately, even at the Circuit de Catalunya, the team had to be content with their 2014 car, because of the same reason.

In Formula 1 terms, you can say that the team arrived at a gun battle with a knife. So the lap-times, which they posted during the 4 days, were more or less irrelevant. But all was not a lost cause for the team, as at least they tested the old car with this season’s tire. Hence the team has naturally gained huge data on this year’s rubber, which is always a positive thing.

The new VJM 08 should be ready for the second Barcelona, and the final pre-season, test. And the extra tyre mileage which they conjured up will only help the team to understand the whole package even better.

Number of laps covered at the Barcelona test: 304

#5 McLaren Honda

The new era at McLaren is slowly turning into an uphill nightmarish challenge. The team struggled during both the tests and, thanks to the lack of reliability, couldn’t pursue their intended program, which they needed so much with the new Honda Power Units. Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, the comeback man, got very limited mileage with the new MP4-30.

But, both drivers praised the car, whenever they got a chance to drive it and also said that it has all the right ingredients to become a race-winner later in the season. Time is not in McLaren’s hands as, after the final test later this week, the opener in Australia is right round the corner.

The word in the paddock is that, the car, which possesses a neat, tightly packed rear end, has given out all the right vibes of being a very decent car. However the Honda engine, and specifically the electronics attached to it, is letting the whole team down. In fact, maybe it was out of fear, but during the 204 laps covered, the engine was not running at 100% output, as per the team at least. So the sense of optimism is still there at McLaren and if can they rise above the technical issues, the real pace of the car will be a thing to check out.

However, just when you though it couldn’t get any worse for the team, another issue has come up, as Alonso is deemed doubtful to drive in the final test. This is because; the Spaniard is still undergoing recovery after his huge shunt during the final day of testing at Barcelona, which had prematurely ended McLaren’s program for the first Barcelona test.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 204

#6 Ferrari

If there was an award for the most improved team from last year; Ferrari would certainly get it. The first two tests were very positive for the team; as at Jerez both race-drivers were one and two, after 4 days of running, and then they showed promising pace, and good reliability, at Barcelona too. The new SF 15-T looks like a good car which both the drivers are feeling good about. And on top of that; the engine department at the Scuderia seems to have rectified the prolonging issues they faced from last year.

The new team under Maurizio Arrivabene looks much more efficient, and the power liberalization, given by him to all the departments, is yielding instant results. Although it is difficult to put an actual estimations over their actual pace, but the new red car from Maranello has impressed everyone, even Mercedes. And you can safely place your bets over the fact that Ferrari might just have jumped ahead of Williams and Red Bull in the pecking order.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 694

#7 Williams Mercedes

Williams has been the quietest team of the lot during this pre-season testing month. Both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have racked in an impressive tally of 658 laps. But the team has just based its focus on reliability, aero measurement work, long stints and race-simulation. One can easily guess that Williams is not chasing quick lap times, and they are quite happy doing their own testing program. This is a good sign, and this indirectly means that the team is pretty happy with its new challenger.

Also, it has been observed by the paddock experts that the new FW37 is an improvement over its predecessor, and hence the relative reluctance for showing off. For the final test at Barcelona the team is expected to bring in some new aero parts, which are specific to Australia, even though the team is still expected to continue their simulation program. But, do remember, sometimes in Formula 1, silence is golden.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 685

#8 Red Bull Renault

Red Bull is still facing some issues with their Renault Power Unit package and the team faced a very tedious time at Jerez because of this issue. But thankfully, by the end of the Barcelona test, the team managed to put up a decent number in the mileage column. The new Red Bull RB-11 is a direct evolution of the team’s last year’s car. And hence the whole package retains its iconic, Adrian Newey made, tight and no comprise-rear end.

As far as the lap-times are concerned, the Red Bull did seem a bit off color, although that might be because of Renault. But the team still clocked in the overall 4th fastest time at the Barcelona test. This is still an improvement over the position at which they were in during the last season’s pre-season testing.

Giving time to their new boy Danil Kvyat to settle is also a pre-season objective of the team. Also, the team is currently testing with an ingenious camouflaged color scheme, to keep all the watching eyes of the Formula 1 world at bay.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 584

#9 Mercedes

The new Mercedes W06 in the hands of Rosberg

Covering nearly 1000 laps over eight days is a clear sign and an indication that; we are in for Silver Arrow dominance for another year. The new Mercedes W06 is a direct evolution of its 2014 sister, and by the looks of it, the new car has inherited all the good elements from her older sibling. As a result, the team did not even bother to put on the softer compounds, but still they were quick and fast.

Nico Rosbergs 1m 24.321s on the medium-compound at Barcelona was good enough for the second fastest time of the week. But if you tyre correct that time, you will find that he could have easily gone at least, at minimum, a second and a half quicker, which would have easily given him the top position. However the team during the two weeks was only concentrating on long runs, aero checks, reliability of the whole package, and massive heavily fueled race simulation stints.

The only plausible way for the other teams to dethrone Mercedes this season is by, getting hold of German squads lastyears car!Even that might not be enough, because Lewis Hamilton has already indicated that the newcar is even better than its predecessor.

Number of laps covered in both tests: 962

Edited by Staff Editor