Motorsport Week’s team hit the ground running last weekend as they headed south for the sunnier climes of Spain and F1’s ubiquitous testing venue, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. And when it was all over, over-priced greasy burgers and all, senior F1 reporter Phillip Horton sat down with Editor-in-Chief Graham Harris to regurgitate his views and verdicts on how each of the 10 teams fared as F1 2017 roared into life.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team // Car: W08 EQ Power+
Lewis Hamilton (#44) – 1:20.983 with Supersofts on Tuesday – 4th
Valtteri Bottas (#77) – 1:19.705 with Ultrasofts on Wednesday – 1st
Mercedes lost the services of Nico Rosberg and Paddy Lowe over the winter break but the reigning manufacturers’ champion team picked up where it left off, with the all-new W08 running seamlessly across the opening three days as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas racked up the mileage.
The pair split each day’s running in order to avoid fatigue and maximise track time, with only Thursday morning’s electrical glitch proving to be a black mark against the team. Nonetheless, Bottas was able to complete the afternoon session, as he continued his much-needed assimilation within the camp. Bottas also set the fastest time of the week, a 1m19.705s on Ultra Soft tyres, as the team started to show its hand in terms of pace.
Bottas conceded that switching teams proved to be a bigger deal than he initially expected, but remains confident of being up to speed by Australia, as he adapts to the nuances of a new team, with different operation methods.
There’s been little evidence so far to suggest that Mercedes will be knocked off its perch in Formula 1 this season, though its day four problems will give rivals a slither of hope.
Red Bull Racing // Car: RB13
Daniel Ricciardo (#3) – 1:21.153 with Softs on Wednesday – 5th
Max Verstappen (#33) – 1:21.769 with Softs on Thursday – 7th
Red Bull has repeatedly emphasised its intentions to challenge Mercedes in the sport after it and engine supplier Renault made gains over the course of 2016, though the team cut a cautious mood during the first test, opting to stress the importance of mileage over ultimate times.
That said, Red Bull was adrift of Mercedes and Ferrari in that regard, as a few niggling problems cost the team track time after an engine sensor issue and battery complaint on Monday, and then an exhaust problem on Wednesday.
Red Bull is aware that Mercedes will still retain its engine advantage, certainly for the first half of the season, and is therefore acutely conscious that it needs to make up for that deficit on the aerodynamic front.
Both Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen said they weren’t focusing on lap times, with the first week all about getting to understand the RB13, and laying strong foundations for this year. There’s every reason to believe that next week’s running will be far more representative, for Red Bull has been dubiously flying under the radar up to this point.
Scuderia Ferrari // Car: SF70-H
Sebastian Vettel (#5) – 1:19.952 with Softs on Wednesday – 2nd
Kimi Räikkönen (#7) – 1:20.960 with Softs on Tuesday – 3rd
Ferrari endured a challenging win-less 2016 campaign but the opening test of 2017 was far more encouraging for the Italian marque.
Last year, reliability issues restricted its running, but across the four days of action only a stoppage at the end of Wednesday, which Sebastian Vettel attributed to trying something different, hindered its programme. Ferrari finished second only to Mercedes on the mileage front, as both Vettel and team-mate Kimi Räikkönen toed the usual corporate line.
Nonetheless, the insistence of Räikkönen that the first test compared to last year’s corresponding running was “much smoother” was a sign of confidence from the typically laconic Finn. The SF70-H also registered competitive lap times, with Vettel the only driver to record a sub 1m20s lap time on the Soft compound tyre. Vettel nonetheless insisted that Ferrari still needs to find a “big chunk” and played down his lap time, preferring to focus on improved reliability, a bug bear of the recalcitrant SF16-H.
Expectations are often raised with Ferrari, but the car looked good on-track, more driveable than its predecessor, and it should be in the mix.
Related: Team-by-team pre-season testing review: Part 2
Related: Team-by-team pre-season testing review: Part 3
