5 Things We Learned from Formula 1 Testing in Jerez
The first of three pre-season tests ahead of the new Formula One season has ended at the Circuito de Jerez.
The four-day session at the Spanish venue saw the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel take to the track for the first time as McLaren-Honda and Ferrari drivers, respectively, since their high-profile transfers at the end of last year, while the on-circuit action provided an initial glimpse of how the 2015 campaign will play out.
Mercedes, the reigning world champions, appear to have picked up where they left off in 2014, while there are early signs of a resurgence for both Ferrari and Sauber, who were among the biggest disappointments of last season.
Here are five things we took away from Jerez as F1 enters a two-week break before the second test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 19.
Mercedes as Strong as Ever, but Still Not Bulletproof
1 of 5
If the pre-season form guide is based on mileage rather than outright speed, we might as well hand the constructors' title to Mercedes right now.
The Silver Arrows completed more than a century of laps on three of the four days at Jerez, with Nico Rosberg recording 157 tours on a trouble-free opening day of the test before adding a further 151 to his tally on Tuesday.
Lewis Hamilton also got a respectable number of laps under his belt with 91 on Day 2 and 117 on the final day.
Despite their almost unprecedented levels of consistency, the reliability issues that plagued the reigning world champions at various points in 2014 have yet to be fully eradicated.
As reported by the team on Twitter, a water leak prevented Hamilton from passing the 100-lap barrier on Monday as Mercedes' day was cut short, with a confirmed engine shutdown halting Rosberg's progress the following day.
Nevertheless—given that this was the first real test with a new car—that's nitpicking after what was an incredibly strong showing by Mercedes.
McLaren Are Gradually Getting There
2 of 5
In isolation, this has been a hugely frustrating test for McLaren-Honda, who've suffered plenty of teething troubles with their new Honda power unit.
Those issues left the team competing a combined total of just 12 laps in the opening two days at Jerez, although Jenson Button told McLaren's official website after his first taste of the MP4-30 that the team had made a breakthrough late on Day 2.
And so, on the third day McLaren rose again, with Fernando Alonso adding 32 laps to the car's tally before a water-pressure problem, as confirmed by the team's Twitter account, ended their day over three hours before the chequered flag fell.
Upon his return to the cockpit on the final day, Button added another 35 tours and took McLaren closer to the pack in terms of lap time, but a fuel-pump issue the team confirmed on Twitter led to their giving up with an hour of the test to spare.
Despite the sense that McLaren are taking one step forward and two steps back, the start of the renewed partnership with Honda has arguably gone as well as either party could hope for, especially when you bear in mind the troubles endured by Red Bull and Renault at Jerez last year.
With steady improvements in pace and consistency as the test progressed, McLaren-Honda are currently in a decent position, and the panic button should remain untouched for the foreseeable future.
Ferrari Already Have a New Hero in Sebastian Vettel
3 of 5
Upon jumping out of the SF15-T cockpit on Monday, bringing his first test as a Ferrari driver to a close, Sebastian Vettel was given a round of applause by his new mechanics.
The standing ovation alone was telling enough—the four-time world champion was fastest on both days he spent behind the wheel—but it was what it represented that made the clapping so noteworthy.
Ferrari, after all, has been a pretty dark place in recent years, with a fall from competitiveness resulting in several high-profile departures including those of Fernando Alonso, Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo.
Vettel's arrival and strong start, on the back of a vast restructuring process by new team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, has marked a new era at the Prancing Horse.
And the German's trademark grin and unwavering commitment—after taking notes at Jerez, Vettel headed straight for the simulator when his driving duties were over, according to F1 journalist James Allen—has already returned a spirit of optimism and unity within the Italian outfit, as Ferrari embrace their new leader.
Fernando who?
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Sauber Look Stronger Than in 2014
4 of 5
Sauber endured their worst-ever Formula One season in 2014, failing to score a single point in any of the 19 grands prix.
But the Swiss team were the pleasant surprise of Jerez, completing a respectable number of laps and showing a promising turn of speed.
Drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr finished second on the time sheets on the first and second days of the test, respectively, before the Brazilian claimed top spot on a penultimate day which saw the C34 car pass 100 laps in a single day for the first time.
Ericsson recorded another 122 laps on Day 4 as Sauber returned to second place behind the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
Cynics would suggest that the team's good showing is merely a ploy to tempt potential partners into putting their logos on a car that looks particularly starved of sponsorship—and they might be correct—but such consistency at this early stage is reason enough for Sauber to enter 2015 with more confidence than they had a year ago.
Williams Are Plodding Along Under the Radar
5 of 5
Williams' rise from backmarkers to front-runners was among the stories of the season in 2014, as the hugely popular outfit made an overdue return to their feet after several years on their knees.
A strong driver pairing in Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, a Mercedes power unit and a sponsorship deal with Martini made the former world champions fashionable once again, as the Grove-based team attracted much attention.
The widespread focus may have been diverted to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari at Jerez, but the effectiveness has remained at Williams.
Failing to place any higher than third on the timing screens or record any more than 73 laps on a given day, Williams will claim few headlines post-Jerez.
But after a slow start on Day 1, the team performed efficiently and are in a strong position after the first test, especially following the unsatisfactory performance of Red Bull, which beat Williams to second in the 2014 constructors' standings.
But don't expect to find Bottas and Co. shouting about it just yet.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
