Winter testing in Barcelona: what to take away from the first week?

Finally! 82 days after the final private tests of 2018 in Abu Dhabi, the world of Formula 1 gathered in Barcelona to open a new chapter, the 70th season in the history of the sport.

On the Montmelo circuit, 4,270 laps were completed by 21 different drivers. The first trend? Already very interesting times in pure speed. If the new rules promised heavier and slower cars, the engineers have already caught up with the announced lag. Better yet, all the teams have achieved better times than in 2018 at the same time! And while Nico Hülkenberg and Renault claimed the absolute best time of the week, Scuderia Ferrari set the benchmark.

Ferrari targeted

History repeats itself. Like its predecessor, the SF90 is the best car on the grid following the first tests of the season. The team now led by Mattia Binotto impressed, with a time set on soft tires by Charles Leclerc on the fourth day (1:18.046, Thursday). A performance highlighted against the main rivals, equipped with the same tires: the Monegasque driver is seven-tenths faster than Pierre Gasly’s Red Bull (1:18.780), and one and a half seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes (1:19.535)! For his debut at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc impressed with his adaptability in a car he himself described as “easy to drive.”

Moreover, the manufacturer Pirelli let the cat out of the bag through its data: if Ferrari had used the softest tires, the best time would have been between 1:16.800 and 1:16.900, which is five-tenths ahead of Hülkenberg’s time.

Another sign of the Italian team’s good health is the long stints that have caught attention, even at Mercedes. The psychological battle has already begun: while Lewis Hamilton stated to the media that “this season will be the most difficult challenge since joining Mercedes,” Charles Leclerc speaks of “bluffing” and some teams “holding back,” without referring to the German team.

Is Mercedes hiding its game?

The titleholder entered this new season smoothly, focusing first on accumulating kilometers (2840 and 610 laps, the best team on the field) and collecting data. But neither Hamilton nor Bottas achieved the best time on any of the four days. It was mainly on Thursday that the W10 picked up the pace, with the softest tires. That day, Valtteri Bottas still remained six-tenths behind Nico Hülkenberg. Nothing to worry about for the German team, which ended by focusing on race simulations, especially since new parts are expected to arrive for the second part of private testing next week.

However, track observers did note some balance issues with the car, particularly during Bottas’s very last stint on Thursday.

The good beginnings of Red Bull with Honda.

The gamble is bold but so far the Austrian team is doing well. Despite rumors of excessive vibrations, there are no reliability issues to highlight with the new engine, as evidenced by the 475 laps completed, an acceptable result in line with other teams. After pure performance on the first day, Christian Horner’s team then focused on long runs, completing various programs. Well-placed to speak about the Japanese engine manufacturer, newcomer Pierre Gasly notes improvements compared to his Toro Rosso from last year. Better yet, the aerodynamics would also be on point, with a promising front wing. Helmut Marko even sees his team “ahead of Mercedes for now.”

Who is emerging in the middle of the table?

Illusion or true revolution, the pure performance times give us a top 4 composed of a Renault, two Toro Rosso, and an Alfa Romeo. So, while it’s impossible to know the amount of fuel on board, it doesn’t matter. The Circuit de Catalunya is a judge of peace and does not allow for approximate results. We can at least assume that some midfield teams have made a leap forward.

Among them, Renault. Ahead of its rivals at the end of 2018, the French team is pleased with the progress of its engine, validated by Nico Hülkenberg’s best time and Daniel Ricciardo’s satisfaction, who is used to working with a French power unit. Some progress still remains to be made, particularly with the MGU-K which cuts out too early at the end of the straight line. Not to mention the constant instability at the rear (a defect the previous car also had), as well as a DRS problem during the first two days…

But the French team is not the only one with reasons for hope. For its second year of collaboration with Honda, Toro Rosso has started off on the right foot, with a surprising best time on Thursday, achieved by the returning Daniil Kvyat. Rookie, his teammate Alexander Albon exceeded his team’s expectations with a second place on the final chart, less than three-tenths behind Nico Hülkenberg. Another rising team, Alfa Romeo, with a well-balanced and fast car, driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi.

At McLaren, the lap times are slightly less impressive, but the English team has been noted for its discretion and the length of its stints with the same set of tires. Lando Norris, however, made a small mistake on the last day, going off into the gravel trap.

Lando Norris went off track at the wheel of the McLaren, getting stuck in the gravel trap #F1 pic.twitter.com/xh2YtBKFPR

— Grégory Demoen (@GregF1i) February 21

Who is in trouble?

A little further back, Racing Point and its low number of laps on track, 248 for the new Perez-Stroll duo. The team born from the ashes of Force India adopted a conservative approach due to the lack of parts present in the garage. The major developments are mainly expected in Melbourne.

At Haas, they are suffering from numerous electrical issues with the VF-19, which have caused several stoppages on track. Coincidence or not, the American team hasn’t rolled out their softest tires, even though there is already a hint of interesting speed.

🚨Red flag🚨

Romain Grosjean’s Haas stopped on track for the third time today… 🤔 #F1 #F1Testing 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/NfHZdvb0f0 — Secteur F1 🇺🇳 (@Secteur_F1) February 20

Concerns are still far from Williams, the real team in difficulty at the start of the season, evidenced by the FW42 being delayed by two and a half days. Already the last car in terms of performance in 2018, the season is shaping up to be very long for the Grove-based team, with only 88 laps completed. A slight consolation: the English team accumulated an additional 100 kilometers this Friday during a promotional filming day allowed at the start of the season. It is hard to evaluate the newcomer George Russell and the returning Robert Kubica, both struggling at the back of the pack.

And here’s what the overall times look like after four days of #F1testing @Circuitcat_eng #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/XYYOhoJBfZ

— Pirelli Motorsport (@Pirellisport) 21 February /f1/actualite/23140-essais-hivernaux-barcelone-jour-4-hulkenberg-soffre-le-meilleur-temps-.html

Here is the first photograph of this season. If Ferrari and Mercedes did not dominate the overall standings, it is advisable to remain cautious with these times. New pieces of information will arrive as early as next week: the drivers will run from Tuesday to Friday for the second session of these pre-season tests at Montmelo.