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F1
What we learned from F1 pre-season testing 2019
Formula One pre-season testing is over and it's all eyes on Melbourne for the opening round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship. Here are the key learnings from Barcelona.
Between February 18 and March 1, 2019, the F1 teams spent a total of eight days hammering around the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona collecting data, tweaking their designs and various car parts and testing data in preparation for the start of the season on March 17 in Melbourne, Australia.
But what have we learned before the lights go out in Melbourne?
Does Ferrari really have the edge over champions Mercedes? What are the new tyres all about? Can McLaren return to the front? Can Gasly beat Verstappen? Check out some of the key takeaway lessons following pre-season testing.
Daniil Kvyat on the final day of testing
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Who was fastest in Spain?
These are the top 10 fastest times set in pre-season testing:
- Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari: 1:16.221
- Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes: 1:16.224
- Charles Leclerc - Ferrari Day 1:16.231
- Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes: 1:16.561
- Nico Hulkenberg - Renault: 1:16.843
- Alexander Albon - Toro Rosso: 1:16.882
- Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso: 1:16.89
- Carlos Sainz - McLaren: 1:16.913
- Romain Grosjean - Haas: 1:17.076
- Lando Norris - McLaren: 1:17.084
Over the eight days of practice, it became clear that things might be a bit more mixed up than this time last year throughout the whole grid. Ferrari ended pre-season testing on top of the time sheets and have been quick throughout the entire test.
On the final day of testing, however, Lewis Hamilton dropped the hammer and challenged Vettel’s time with Ferrari’s newest recruit Charles Leclerc ending up with the third fastest time overall, ahead of Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes. So, it looks like we’re in for an exciting Ferrari versus Mercedes battle in Australia.
Nico Hülkenberg topped the timesheets in week one for Renault, and with a good pace over long runs from teammate Daniel Ricciardo, the works Renault outfit could be a surprise package in 2019. The Toro Rosso pair of F1 rookie Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat also showed impressive pace throughout testing, which left many thinking they actually could be a challenge to their sister Red Bull Racing team this season as well.
Daniil Kvyat looks happy to be back on the grid
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
As always, the balance between getting useful data and sorting out how fuel efficient the car is over outright speed is key to a rewarding pre-season test, and the most important place to iron out any creases. As it stands, we don’t know if Ferrari is really faster than Mercedes, and the fight for ‘best of the rest’ will have to be decided in a few weeks’ time.
Who completed the most laps?
These are the total lap amounts for each team from testing:
- Mercedes – 1,190 laps
- Ferrari – 997 laps
- Renault – 961 laps
- Toro Rosso – 935 laps
- Alfa Romeo – 922 laps
- McLaren – 874 laps
- Haas – 871 laps
- Red Bull – 833 laps
- Racing Point – 625 laps
- Williams – 567 laps
Does getting the most laps matter? Well, yes and no. More laps equal more data to analyse. The difference in number of laps between Mercedes and Ferrari won’t have that much impact by the time we reach the first race of the season. However, one of the reasons Ferrari has fewer laps is because of an electrical issue on the last day of testing, something to keep an eye on during race time.
The teams that have much fewer laps and shorter running times won’t have as much data to study to get an understanding of their car, or foresee potential problems. Williams will suffer because they missed two days of testing, which may put them right at the back, like in 2018.
Williams driver Robert Kubica told Motorsport.com, “The rest is unknown. I haven’t done longer than 15 laps long run. There is a lot of question marks. But that’s the reality, we cannot change it.”
Kubica feels unprepared for the first race in Australia
© Williams
What have we learned about the tyres?
F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli has cut back the number of dry-weather compounds available through the year to five from seven, and at each race they will simply be called soft, medium and hard, indicated by red, yellow and white markings on the sidewall.
The compound will vary from each race and they will be labelled: from hardest to softest C1 (for the hardest), C2, C3, C4 and C5 (for the softest). In pre-season testing four of the compounds were used and unsurprisingly all the quickest times were set on the C5 (softest) compound.
- C5(Softest): 1:16.221 by Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
- C4 (Second softest): 1:16.628 by Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- C3(Soft): 1:16.720 by Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
- C2(Second hardest): 1:18.097 by Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Hamilton believes the compounds this year are too hard; “What do you want to know, if the tyres are any good? I don’t really have a lot of good things to say on that, so best I probably don’t say anything.
“As we get into the year, it is going to be a challenge. They are more challenging this year than they were last. And we have all these different names of tyres – C5, C4, C3, C2 and C1. Which is for me personally even more confusing than all the colours that we had."
Can we guess which teams and drivers will be fastest in Australia?
Last year, the opening race in Australia signalled business as usual as the battle for the win was between reigning champions Mercedes and Ferrari, who had made huge gains over their 2017 performance.
In 2019, it looks like a bet against either a silver or a red car would be a wasted bet. Mercedes left it late to challenge Ferrari's fastest time and Hamilton ended up second fastest, just .0003 seconds behind Vettel’s Ferrari, which had clocked up an impressive 105 laps as the sun started to set in Spain. Hamilton claims that Ferrari are half a second ahead of Mercedes, to which Ferrari Team Principle Mattia Binotto said, "I'm happy to know Hamilton believes we are faster and very strong… but I believe Mercedes will be very strong in Australia and it would be completely wrong to think we are faster than them. I am not expecting them to be behind us. I think they will be very, very close."
The pace of the Mercedes is ominous, and the Ferrari looks strong, and 2018’s closest challengers Red Bull Racing have had a mixed time in pre-season testing with the new Honda-powered RB15.
Gasly crashed on the penultimate day of testing and damaged the new car, hampering their plans for a long race simulation run. Problems on the final day of testing included gearbox issues, so right now there’s a big question mark over how fast RBR will be.
Which team looks to be best of the rest?
This test has been pretty intriguing, as it seems like the mid-field is much closer than it has been in recent years. After an abysmal four years with Honda, McLaren is now powered by Renault, and Carlos Sainz Jr and British rookie Lando Norris have been posting quick lap times throughout the test.
McLaren have had a positive pre-season test
© Zak Mauger / McLaren
Toro Rosso took their turn to top the timing sheets across the two weeks and finished pre-season strong with Kvyat doing 131 laps on the final day and finish about sixth tenths behind Vettel.
Haas and Alfa Romeo have also thrown their hats into the mid-field ring, posting consistent times across testing, however both had their reliability issues. We may even be seeing a surprise podium from one of these teams this season.
How did the rookies get on?
Lando Norris is settling in well with the McLaren team
© Motorsport Images / McLaren
For 2019 there are three rookies; Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams’ George Russell. All emerged from pre-season testing unscathed, however Norris and Albon managed to chuck their cars into the gravel in the first week of testing (as did many more experienced drivers, so you can’t hold that against them) and Russell had an uphill battle the late delivery of the Williams.
With solid pace and reliability from the Toro Rosso and McLaren, the smart money would be on a battle of the new boys and hopefully we will see Albon and Norris mix it up and create some thrills and spills away from the battle for the lead.
