10 Storylines to Follow in 2nd Formula 1 Test at Barcelona
Ferrari set the pace in Jerez, but will they still be on top when the second 2015 Formula One preseason test gets underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday?
The Scuderia's rapid start raised more than the odd eyebrow. Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel both put in laps a second quicker than the best time set by 2014's dominant team, Mercedes.
But the defending constructors' champions didn't disappoint. They topped a table of their own, completing a staggering 2,284 kilometres—a greater distance than anyone, and more than Ferrari and Red Bull put together.
At the other end of the scale, McLaren recorded an unwanted double—fewest laps and slowest time—as they struggled with their new Honda power unit.
Sauber looked good, Williams looked average, Red Bull looked fragile, and Lotus got off to a reasonable start, but Jerez kicked up more questions than answers.
Will Catalunya do the same?
Here are 10 key storylines to look out for ahead of the second test.
Mercedes and the Great Sandbagging Mystery
1 of 10
Mercedes ended 2014 around one second per lap quicker than their nearest rivals. The gap was smaller in qualifying, but over a race distance, the likes of Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams could not hope to compete.
Nico Rosberg kicked off their defence of the drivers' and constructors' titles with a staggering 157 laps on the first day. Lewis Hamilton took over on Day 2, and by the end of the test, the new W06 had completed a whopping 516 laps.
That's more than Red Bull and Ferrari added together. But while Mercedes looked ominously reliable, they didn't look mind-blowingly quick. Nor did they look like they wanted to be.
Their Jerez program was all about putting laps on the new car and engine. Mercedes designer Aldo Costa told Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t GrandPrixTimes.com), "We did not go to Spain to verify performance, but rather reliability and the behaviour of the car," adding that "very little" of the car's true potential was displayed.
At the second test of 2014, we got a hint of what the W05 was capable of as it lapped the Bahrain International Circuit over a second-and-a-half quicker than any other car.
Will the team lay down a similar marker this year?
Renault Have Work to Do (Again)
2 of 10
Problematic starts to winter testing are becoming the norm over at Red Bull.
The Milton Keynes-based team did fewer laps in Jerez than anyone bar McLaren and were the second-slowest in both lap times and through the speed traps. As in 2014, the primary culprit was their Renault power unit—but this time, the issues were relatively minor.
Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul explained one of the most significant problems to Autosport:
"We know what the issue is; we know what we have to do. It is just that logistics did not allow for this to take place here. It is a metallic shaft that we have to change, and we have to optimise and review the design.
It is something that was working very well last year, but we decided to change and improve it a bit further with the overall packaging of the engine to also support Red Bull in their attempt to also have very good packaging. That is why we did not really care for that part.
Usually you have very specific simulations, design tests, and validation protocol. But honestly we did not do it for this part because it is such a stupid part...
"
The fix on this part should be straightforward, but it wasn't the only defect to surface, and after last year, no one at Red Bull will be counting their chickens.
Renault have taken an aggressive approach to improving their power unit as they bid to catch Mercedes. Though this has a good chance of bearing fruit in the long run, it may result in more small, niggling issues arising in the short term.
Will they encounter more problems in Catalunya—or will they finally give their teams a trouble-free test?
A Chance to See the Old Versus the New
3 of 10
Force India missed the first test at Jerez, but they'll be in the pit lane in Catalunya.
Unfortunately for them, they'll only have their 2014 car. The team posted a picture on Twitter showing the 2015-liveried VJM07 being loaded onto a truck for the journey south from Silverstone:
"Barcelona bound! Car & kit on the road, we are heading to Catalunya! #FeelTheForce #OnTheRoadAgain pic.twitter.com/9tKWjS1e2z
— Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) February 13, 2015"
But while this isn't great news for the team, the presence of a 2014 Force India could be helpful to those who want to get a reasonable idea of how much quicker the 2015 cars are.
The speed-trap data will also provide us with a hint of how much better the new Mercedes engine is—and whether or not it's being run at full power.
Unless they run a 2015-spec unit, that is.
McLaren-Honda's Race to Reliability Continues
4 of 10
We have to believe McLaren-Honda will sooner or later come good—will it happen in Barcelona?
The team had a disappointing first test at Jerez. The new, tightly packaged MP4-30 suffered a string of issues with its power unit and managed just 79 laps—the fastest of which was Jenson Button's one minute, 27.660 seconds.
That's almost seven seconds off the pace set by Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari and over four seconds behind the best lap of the next-slowest team.
"Progress today but still along way to go.. Everyone at #McLarenHonda giving it a massive push before The next test. pic.twitter.com/O2ajCWyJ04
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) February 4, 2015"
The problems McLaren-Honda encountered were minor compared to those that famously ailed Red Bull and Renault at the start of last season. The issues have been identified, and the legendary partnership has had two weeks to get to the bottom of them.
We can therefore hope to see some proper running from the McLaren at Catalunya, but it may be too early for them to start setting representative lap times.
Just getting the car around the circuit over and over again is likely to be the priority. Performance can wait until the third test.
A Voyage of Tyre Discovery
5 of 10
Jerez is a rear-limited circuit—that is, the rear tyres take the most punishment, and the length of stints is largely determined by how quickly they wear out. The abrasive surface makes it more of a place to test the harder compounds.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is more balanced. The front tyres take a lot of the strain through the fast, sweeping corners such as Turns 3 and 9. Though not leaned on as heavily as in Jerez, the rears do a lot of work too as the car is often accelerating and turning at the same time.
It's also quite abrasive, but we'll certainly see some laps from the red-marked supersoft tyres. No one bothered to run these in Jerez.
Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery said of the Catalunya circuit before the 2014 Spanish Grand Prix:
"It’s often said that Barcelona provides the most accurate representation of the form a season will take, because a car that performs well in Barcelona should perform well everywhere.
The same is true of the tyres, because the Spanish circuit is one of the most demanding circuits we race on all year.
"
This makes the track a perfect venue for learning the characteristics and durability of the four compounds. They're broadly the same as they were in 2014, but the new engines produce more power, and the cars will have more downforce—so last year's data will only be so much use.
Expect all the teams (except maybe McLaren) to get into the world of full-length race simulations as early as they can.
Ferrari's True Pace to Be Revealed?
6 of 10
Ferrari blitzed the rest of the field in Jerez. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen combined to set the quickest laps on three of the four days; Raikkonen's 1:20.841 proved the fastest time of the entire test.
But no one truly believes the Scuderia have made the giant leap needed to replace Mercedes as the dominant team. They were operating a different programme to the rest of the pit lane, and the headline times should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne certainly thinks so. After the test, BBC Sport quoted him as saying:
"I am encouraged by the performance of the new car, though it is one thing to do a quick lap, another to do an entire race. I have so much confidence in the work of the boys. I am proud of their work.
Now we'll see when the World Championship starts in Australia. I do not expect miracles, but it is important to see progress.
At the Barcelona test, I expect the ultimate proof of what we have done so far.
"
Let's hope so.
Teams like Williams, Mercedes and Red Bull will almost certainly join Ferrari in attempting moderately quick times. This may give us a better idea of where the SF15-T truly lies in the pecking order.
Updates on Marussia/Manor's Future
7 of 10
The Marussia/Manor team's future remains uncertain as they attempt to get a 2015-legal car ready for the early part of the season. Per Autosport, the FIA is keeping the 2015 entry list open for as long as it can to give the team as much time as possible.
This uncertainty and ongoing lack of a car mean Manor won't be at the second test, but the other nine teams will all be in attendance, and the paddock will be swarming with team personnel.
With so many informed people in the same place at the same time—with lots of journalists and TV crews sniffing around—there's a strong chance we'll find out a little more about how Manor are progressing.
Hopefully, we'll hear some good news.
The Power-Unit Battle Resumes
8 of 10
The speed-trap data from Jerez threw up few surprises. Topping the tables were the three Mercedes-powered teams, with Honda bringing up the rear. Renault and Ferrari teams filled the middle of the chart.
Autosport published the figures:
| 1 | Williams-Mercedes | 307.6 |
| 2 | Mercedes | 307.6 |
| 3 | Lotus-Mercedes | 306.8 |
| 4 | Toro Rosso-Renault | 303.3 |
| 5 | Sauber-Ferrari | 303.3 |
| 6 | Ferrari | 300.8 |
| 7 | Red Bull-Renault | 294.2 |
| 8 | McLaren-Honda | 277.6 |
Attempting to draw meaningful conclusions from such data is difficult—the teams will have been using different fuel loads, engine modes and aerodynamic setups.
But it would be fair to say Mercedes appear to be in the strongest position. One of their teams at the top could be an anomaly; all three being there suggests they have retained their advantage from last season.
The speed-trap data from Catalunya will give us a better idea of whether or not this is the case—and being able to compare the speeds against those of the 2014 Force India may be helpful indeed.
Car Development, Rookie Style
9 of 10
As in 2014, three rookies will be on the grid for the first race of 2015. All of them are still learning their trade at this level, and the second test may give us some hints as to who is finding his way the quickest.
The battle at Toro Rosso is especially fascinating. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. have a combined total of zero starts between them, and neither has the experience of helping to develop an F1 car.
They've also never done real race or qualifying simulations at this level and have limited experience of the unique Pirelli tyres.
Sky Sports reported the STR10 looked difficult to drive at Jerez—whether this is down to the car or the drivers may become clear at the second test.
Over at Sauber, Felipe Nasr is a little further along. He spent three seasons in the GP2 series—which uses similarly rapid-wearing tyres to F1—and has driven in more free practice sessions than the Toro Rosso pair.
He also tested for Williams in 2014, but it's a big step to go from a helper to a leader. He has Marcus Ericsson to help out, but the Swede is only in his second season. He has no more experience with the Sauber team or the Ferrari power unit than Nasr does.
The progress of both teams will be interesting to watch.
Williams May Show Their Hand
10 of 10
After a brilliant 2014 season, Williams flew well under the radar in Jerez.
The FW37 did an average number of laps at an average pace. Like Mercedes, the Grove-based team appeared concerned only with their own programme and paid little or no attention to what the other teams were doing.
Early signs were good. Valtteri Bottas drove the car on the opening day and told press at the circuit (h/t Reuters):
"We didn’t have a single issue with the FW37, which is impressive for the first day with a new car. The car was consistent, so it’s a really good start to the week and we are pleased that it’s still a step up from the car we had at the end of last season.
There are a lot of strengths in this car and we’ve made good progress in just one day, so I am very pleased.
"
But the real proof of the car will be in how it compares to its rivals in areas such as qualifying simulations and tyre usage.
As with Mercedes, the second test may provide us with a better idea of how good the Williams really is.
Lap count and time data used throughout sourced from Formula1.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Swift-Kelce Marriage Rumors")
