Formula 1: Valencia's Test Sets the Scene Beautifully for the 2011 Season

After three days testing in Valencia it is clear that the teams who ended last year well, look strong for next season. However, having three different drivers (and teams) top the time sheet on each day certainly means that 2011 is shaping up very nicely! 

We picked up on Tuesday where we left off in Abu Dhabi with Sebastian Vettel on pole position.

Vettel was the first Red Bull driver to test the new RB7 and his eventual time of 1:13.769 proved to be the best. The German World Champion stated that he was enjoying his time getting to know the new car and of course, those new Pirellis.  

Things were looking up for last year’s "big disappointment team" as well. After a very promising 2009 season, big things were expected of Force India in 2010. However, a mixture of bad luck and simply bad performances led to a very mediocre 2010.

Still, Force India and their new reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg will be pleased to have finished the first day in second place. I still think it’s criminal that Hulkenberg hasn’t got a drive in 2011! If he can continue to impress in practice though it shouldn’t be too long until we see him on the grid again.

It was indeed thanks to strong practice pace that Paul di Resta got a race seat in 2011 (Force India’s new number two driver). When the Scottish driver took over from Hulkenberg in the afternoon he put in a strong performance but was only fast enough for P4.  

Hmm…just as Vittantonio Liuzzi spent all of 2010 looking over his shoulder at di Resta, I wonder if the Scott will now be doing the same with Hulkenberg? 

Fernando Alonso may have only been able to finish the Ferrari F150’s track debut in P5, but he seemed happy that he had achieved his goal of gathering new information about his car and the Pirelli tyres.

McLaren were no doubt pleased to have finished the day in fourth having fielded an interim car. Similarly, Sauber, Virgin, Williams, Torro Rosso and Renault were probably happy to finish the day after strong, trouble free performances.

However, I’m not sure how pleased the 2009 Constructors Champions will be that their new car’s hydraulics failed after just nine laps!

Both Mercedes drivers had limited time in the car, and neither set the world on fire with their pace.

So Tuesday was an interesting day, but an ominous one; were Red Bull going to finish every session on top?

As a Ferrari fan, I was pleased that Fernando Alonso was the man to beat on Wednesday. The Ferrari F150 was fastest with a 1:13.307.

Red Bull wont have lost faith though (despite a small instillation problem for Mark Webber). Whilst Webber’s time in the RB7 was less than smooth and was limited, Sebastian Vettel was able to finish the day in second place. I think this sets a fantastic scene for the season all we need is a strong performance from McLaren’s new car and 2011 should be every bit as close as 2010!

It looks as if all of our hopes will come true too, as yet again the interim McLaren was able to lap relatively quickly and keep up with the rest of the pack. Lewis Hamilton finished the day in P4 and was primarily testing the new Pirelli tyres. Force India were also strong again with a third place finishing position.  

Renault’s Robert Kubica was pleased with his performance in the R31, but he was disappointed by some technical issues, which prevented the team from having a perfect days testing.

The HRT team was able to build on a pretty strong performance on Tuesday and will no doubt be pleased to have finished Wednesday in P6 in front of Mercedes GP!

Well, after a troublesome Tuesday, Wednesday went much better for the team I used to know and love as Honda F1. I’m still puzzled as to how Mercedes decided that a team that had been struggling for consistency its whole career were worth investing in after one great season, in which Brawn had a colossal head start and dropped off the pace midway through 2009.

Anyway, a clean Wednesday was good news for the German outfit despite relativly poor pace. I think when Red Bull and Ferrari drivers are talking about "great days testing," Mercedes should be a little concerned that Nico Rosberg described Wednesday as "an interesting day."

Again, the likes of Virgin, Williams, Torro Rosso and Sauber had consistent, relatively trouble free days. The new Lotus didn’t exactly impress with technical issues and a pretty slow set of times, but I expect the team will improve as they did in 2010.

I think it was really cool to see a third different driver take the top spot on Thursday. Robert Kubica had a mixed 2010 but certainly proved to the world that he is an awesome driver. 

Perhaps by finishing the final day in pole in the new Renault underlined the belief that his team could be on their way back to the top spot on the podium.

Infact, Kubica’s 1:13:144 was faster than Vettel’s top time on Tuesday and Alonso’s on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Filipe Massa suffered an oil leak and lost a lot of vital testing time. This had nothing to do with the Brazilian other than terrible luck! Ferrari stated after the test that they were very happy and confident that their upgrades would only make things better.  

However, with Massa very much in "driver 2 status," failing to make much of an impression today may well damage his confidence.

Mark Webber had a much better day in this RB7 and was able to put in some long runs with decent pace. Force India and McLaren had good days in their interim cars and the likes of Williams, Sauber, Torro Rosso and Virgin continued to look decent. 

A pretty dismal first test for the new Mercedes car improved slightly on the previous two days showings, but I think there will be some serious head scratching in Merc HQ in the coming weeks.

Team Lotus were also hampered by reliability in their two sessions and no doubt will be concerned that their position as "best of the new teams" may not be accurate in 2011.

So what has this first test session shown us? 

Well, Red Bull and Ferrari are quick; we expected that. It was also pretty likely that McLaren would do well even in their interim car. I would also argue that it wasn’t much of a shock to see Mercedes struggle.

I think what was very interesting was the speed of Renault and Force India. It is still far too early to be making serious predictions, but I think we can safely say the Top three teams will be Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.  

If this proves to be true I think we’re in for a great show. However, unlike last year, we may be treated to the odd shock when a Force India or Renault pops up the grid and places themselves in front of a front runner.  

I think we’re in for a good one in 2011!