Mercedes will head to the opening of the Formula 1 season in Australia as a favorite after conducting pre-season tests – although question marks remain over the reliability of its engine.
Tests rarely show the full picture, most vividly seen in 2019 when Ferrari’s impressive performance in Barcelona was followed by a disappointing start to the season.
Still, a look at the numbers confirms the fact that Mercedes is once again the team to beat in Melbourne after dominating all areas.
Valtteri Bottas gave an early sign of Mercedes’ strength during the opening week with the fastest lap in 1m15.732s, placing him just three tenths of a second from his record at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
His effort would be undefeated during the second test, giving him half a second of buffer on the rest of the peloton. Max Verstappen was the second best driver, finishing at 0.537 s drifting. Bottas’ final effort of 1m16.196s meant that he finished the test with the two fastest laps.
Global times
Pos | Driver | Car | Time |
1. | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m15.732s |
2. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1m16.269s |
3. | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1m16.276s |
4. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m16.360s |
5. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m16.410s |
6. | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 1m16.433s |
seven. | Sergio Perez | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1m16.634s |
8. | Carlos Sainz | McLaren-Renault | 1m16.820s |
9. | Sebastian vettel | Ferrari | 1m16.841s |
ten. | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1m16.871s |
11. | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m16.914s |
12. | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m16.942s |
13. | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1m17.037s |
14. | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m17.066s |
15. | Kimi raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m17.091s |
16. | Lance Walk | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1m17.118s |
17. | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1m17.313s |
18. | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1m17.495s |
19. | Alex Albon | Red Bull-Honda | 1m17.550s |
20. | Lando Norris | McLaren-Renault | 1m17.573s |
21. | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m19.670s |
Verstappen was able to reach P2 with a simulation of qualification on C5 tires in the last hour of testing. A series of laps through testing had raised concerns about a potentially finicky trait in the RB16 car, but Verstappen said there was nothing to worry about.
While reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton was only able to finish fifth faster in practice, he led the way in terms of mileage despite some setbacks for Mercedes. Hamilton accumulated 466 laps in six half-days of racing, or seven race distances, to finish 20 laps from Carlos Sainz of McLaren.
Mercedes also dominated the number of kilometers per team as Hamilton and Bottas reached a combined total of 903 laps, 59 more than Ferrari. There is not a single measurable measure where the German brand has followed the tests.
However, a series of engine problems for Mercedes and the Williams customer team – often linked to the oil system – have avoided concerns about reliability. Williams was forced to use three engines during the tests, while Mercedes had two separate problems, which prompted Hamilton to call it a “difficult winter”.
Mileage per driver
Pos | Driver | Tours | miles |
1. | Lewis Hamilton | 466 | 1348 |
2. | Carlos Sainz Jr | 446 | 1290 |
3. | Charles Leclerc | 442 | 1279 |
4. | Sergio Perez | 441 | 1276 |
5. | Valtteri Bottas | 437 | 1264 |
6. | Max Verstappen | 414 | 1197 |
seven. | Sebastian vettel | 402 | 1163 |
8. | Romain Grosjean | 399 | 1154 |
9. | Daniil Kvyat | 399 | 1154 |
ten. | George Russell | 394 | 1140 |
11. | Esteban Ocon | 376 | 1087 |
12. | Pierre Gasly | 370 | 1070 |
13. | Daniel Ricciardo | 367 | 1061 |
14. | Alex Albon | 366 | 1059 |
15. | Lando Norris | 356 | 1030 |
16. | Nicholas Latifi | 343 | 992 |
17. | Lance Walk | 341 | 986 |
18. | Antonio Giovinazzi | 323 | 935 |
19. | Kimi raikkonen | 300 | 868 |
20. | Kevin Magnussen | 250 | 723 |
21. | Robert Kubica | 112 | 324 |
Mileage per team
Pos | Team | Tours | miles |
1. | Mercedes | 903 | 2612 |
2. | Ferrari | 844 | 2441 |
3. | McLaren | 802 | 2320 |
4. | Racing point | 782 | 2262 |
5. | Red Bull | 780 | 2256 |
6. | AlphaTauri | 769 | 2225 |
seven. | Renault | 743 | 2149 |
8. | Williams | 737 | 2132 |
9. | Alfa Romeo | 735 | 2126 |
ten. | Haas | 649 | 1877 |
Ferrari’s approach through testing has been to avoid overestimating its performance and focusing more on the basics after its disappointing start to the season last year. He still lagged behind the number of laps in Mercedes, but only had 150 laps less than his total compared to 2019, when he had two more days – proof of his change of approach.
Williams and Racing Point were two of the biggest winners of 2019. In the case of Williams, it is not surprising given the woes of last year, but ending the tests with 737 laps under his belt (against 567 in 5.5 days in 19) is a serious achievement. Without its engine problems, the team could have ranked very well on the number of laps.
Racing Point’s progress is however even more marked. The “pink Mercedes” turned heads on the day of the opening of the tests, but proved to be both reliable and fast. Racing Point completed 782 laps in six days. Last year, he completed 625 laps in eight days. Sergio Perez finished seventh overall, but only four tenths of a second from the best lap time in Verstappen.
The maturity of the rules allowed all the teams to start the game and accumulate large mileage figures. The only real anomaly was Haas who, with 649 laps, was nearly 100 adrift from the rest of the peloton.
In Melbourne, the true image of the F1 championship could become a little clearer. But if the tests have to be done, Mercedes will again lead the pack under the checkered flag at Albert Park.
Mercedes will head to the opening of the Formula 1 season in Australia as a favorite after conducting pre-season tests – although question marks remain over the reliability of its engine.
Tests rarely show the full picture, most vividly seen in 2019 when Ferrari’s impressive performance in Barcelona was followed by a disappointing start to the season.
Still, a look at the numbers confirms the fact that Mercedes is once again the team to beat in Melbourne after dominating all areas.
Valtteri Bottas gave an early sign of Mercedes’ strength during the opening week with the fastest lap in 1m15.732s, placing him just three tenths of a second from his record at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
His effort would be undefeated during the second test, giving him half a second of buffer on the rest of the peloton. Max Verstappen was the second best driver, finishing at 0.537 s drifting. Bottas’ final effort of 1m16.196s meant that he finished the test with the two fastest laps.
Global times
Pos | Driver | Car | Time |
1. | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m15.732s |
2. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1m16.269s |
3. | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1m16.276s |
4. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m16.360s |
5. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m16.410s |
6. | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 1m16.433s |
seven. | Sergio Perez | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1m16.634s |
8. | Carlos Sainz | McLaren-Renault | 1m16.820s |
9. | Sebastian vettel | Ferrari | 1m16.841s |
ten. | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1m16.871s |
11. | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m16.914s |
12. | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m16.942s |
13. | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1m17.037s |
14. | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m17.066s |
15. | Kimi raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m17.091s |
16. | Lance Walk | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1m17.118s |
17. | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1m17.313s |
18. | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1m17.495s |
19. | Alex Albon | Red Bull-Honda | 1m17.550s |
20. | Lando Norris | McLaren-Renault | 1m17.573s |
21. | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m19.670s |
Verstappen was able to reach P2 with a simulation of qualification on C5 tires in the last hour of testing. A series of laps through testing had raised concerns about a potentially finicky trait in the RB16 car, but Verstappen said there was nothing to worry about.
While reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton was only able to finish fifth faster in practice, he led the way in terms of mileage despite some setbacks for Mercedes. Hamilton accumulated 466 laps in six half-days of racing, or seven race distances, to finish 20 laps from Carlos Sainz of McLaren.
Mercedes also dominated the number of kilometers per team as Hamilton and Bottas reached a combined total of 903 laps, 59 more than Ferrari. There is not a single measurable measure where the German brand has followed the tests.
However, a series of engine problems for Mercedes and the Williams customer team – often linked to the oil system – have avoided concerns about reliability. Williams was forced to use three engines during the tests, while Mercedes had two separate problems, which prompted Hamilton to call it a “difficult winter”.
Mileage per driver
Pos | Driver | Tours | miles |
1. | Lewis Hamilton | 466 | 1348 |
2. | Carlos Sainz Jr | 446 | 1290 |
3. | Charles Leclerc | 442 | 1279 |
4. | Sergio Perez | 441 | 1276 |
5. | Valtteri Bottas | 437 | 1264 |
6. | Max Verstappen | 414 | 1197 |
seven. | Sebastian vettel | 402 | 1163 |
8. | Romain Grosjean | 399 | 1154 |
9. | Daniil Kvyat | 399 | 1154 |
ten. | George Russell | 394 | 1140 |
11. | Esteban Ocon | 376 | 1087 |
12. | Pierre Gasly | 370 | 1070 |
13. | Daniel Ricciardo | 367 | 1061 |
14. | Alex Albon | 366 | 1059 |
15. | Lando Norris | 356 | 1030 |
16. | Nicholas Latifi | 343 | 992 |
17. | Lance Walk | 341 | 986 |
18. | Antonio Giovinazzi | 323 | 935 |
19. | Kimi raikkonen | 300 | 868 |
20. | Kevin Magnussen | 250 | 723 |
21. | Robert Kubica | 112 | 324 |
Mileage per team
Pos | Team | Tours | miles |
1. | Mercedes | 903 | 2612 |
2. | Ferrari | 844 | 2441 |
3. | McLaren | 802 | 2320 |
4. | Racing point | 782 | 2262 |
5. | Red Bull | 780 | 2256 |
6. | AlphaTauri | 769 | 2225 |
seven. | Renault | 743 | 2149 |
8. | Williams | 737 | 2132 |
9. | Alfa Romeo | 735 | 2126 |
ten. | Haas | 649 | 1877 |
Ferrari’s approach through testing has been to avoid overestimating its performance and focusing more on the basics after its disappointing start to the season last year. He still lagged behind the number of laps in Mercedes, but only had 150 laps less than his total compared to 2019, when he had two more days – proof of his change of approach.
Williams and Racing Point were two of the biggest winners of 2019. In the case of Williams, it is not surprising given the woes of last year, but ending the tests with 737 laps under his belt (against 567 in 5.5 days in 19) is a serious achievement. Without its engine problems, the team could have ranked very well on the number of laps.
Racing Point’s progress is however even more marked. The “pink Mercedes” turned heads on the day of the opening of the tests, but proved to be both reliable and fast. Racing Point completed 782 laps in six days. Last year, he completed 625 laps in eight days. Sergio Perez finished seventh overall, but only four tenths of a second from the best lap time in Verstappen.
The maturity of the rules allowed all the teams to start the game and accumulate large mileage figures. The only real anomaly was Haas who, with 649 laps, was nearly 100 adrift from the rest of the peloton.
In Melbourne, the true image of the F1 championship could become a little clearer. But if the tests have to be done, Mercedes will again lead the pack under the checkered flag at Albert Park.