After the excitement of Jerez two weeks ago Formula 1 heads to
Barcelona. This is a track all the teams and drivers know well -
the Circuit de Catalunya. Because of this, and the fact there is a
race held here during the season, this test is a fantastic
opportunity to get some idea on the speed of the cars. This time
around we have the new Mercedes to add into the mix. The W02 set
the fastest time in Jerez, so it will be interesting to see how the
W03 will do compared to the other new machinery.
From the first test it looks as if Red Bull and McLaren are
pretty fast, with Ferrari left with some work to do. Lotus also
look fast with Kimi Raikkonen impressing on his first day. The
Force India looks very midfield, but they seem better than the
other midfield teams, although it seems that Toro Rosso are quite
quick too. The Sauber and the Williams should be somewhere around
there or behind whilst Caterham should be hoping they can challenge
the midfield this season.
This test will be carried out without HRT after they failed some
recent crash and structure tests which means their new car will not
be unveiled until the third test at the earlier. Marussia also
don't have their new car ready, so they will be using last year's
car, with Charles Pic taking three of the four days to get used to
his F1 experience.
We will also not be seeing the happy Italian that is Jarno
Trulli this season after he was booted out of Caterham in turn for
Vitaly Petrov. This is probably for the best - Petrov impressed
last season with Renault scoring some early podiums whilst all that
can be said for Trulli of late is the now infamous 'Trulli train'.
Caterham now have a very strong driver line up and definitely
should be thinking about the midfield after a season of being in
no-man's land last year.
As Barcelona is a better representation of the cars true speed
in relation to each other, it will be interesting to see if the
assumptions made after Jerez hold true. It is very difficult to
make any bets from the first test, but we should start getting a
good idea of pace. The main points of interest will be whether
Ferrari are in as much trouble as people are suggesting, and how
the gap is looking between Red Bull and McLaren.
Fans will also get a better chance to see whether or not Lotus
and Mercedes are closer to the front. Lotus made a great first
impression in Jerez and many will be hoping that this continues
into the season, giving the established frontrunners a run for
their money. However one problem that has been seen with this team
in recent years is that they are not as good as the likes of
McLaren and Ferrari at developing their car quickly, so if they are
fast now, they may lose it by the time they're racing for good, in
Barcelona later this year.
Then all that is left to look at is the midfield, and due to the
banning of the blown exhausts, the front teams have lost their
advantage. Williams will be desperately hoping that the new car can
get them into consistent points this year after just a handful of
points in 2011. Sauber look to have good potential but they often
do pre-season, perhaps for sponsor purposes. The team did well last
year, with numerous points finishes. They have a very strong driver
line up and should improve from last season. Force India meanwhile
didn't really prove much from Jerez after their new test driver
Jules Bianchi crashed out leaving them with no spare parts and
hours of lost test time. Their driver line up too is strong with
Hulkenburg and di Resta both having impressive rookie seasons. Toro
Rosso look reliable and quick, which is brilliant for a midfield
team. However they have two new drivers in their first year in
Formula 1, so that could be the teams Achilles heel.
All in all we have a lot to look forward to in Barcelona as the
competition hots up. As always you can follow the whole test on
PortalF1 with daily photo galleries, Twitter updates and test
review concluding the week.
Driver Line-up:
Red Bull - Vettel, Vettel, Webber, Webber
McLaren - Hamilton, Hamilton, Button,
Button
Ferrari - Alonso, Alonso, Massa, Massa
Mercedes - Schumacher, Rosberg, Schumacher,
Rosberg
Lotus - Grosjean, Grosjean, Raikkonen,
Raikkonen
Force India - Hulkenberg, Hulkenberg, Di Resta,
Di Resta
Sauber - Perez, Perez, Kobayashi, Kobayashi
Toro Rosso - Ricciardo, Ricciardo, Vergne,
Vergne
Williams - Senna, Bottas, Maldonado,
Maldonado
Caterham - Kovalainen, Petrov, Petrov,
Kovalainen
Marussia - Pic, Glock, Pic, Pic