F1 test round-up: Mercedes takes charge

Only clues about Mercedes' 2015 performance emerged from Formula 1's first two winter tests, as other teams stole the limelight. That all changed in the final test at Barcelona.

The dominant force of 2014 asserted its authority on the final pre-season test and left no one in any doubt that it will be the team to beat this year, if indeed it can even be caught.

Friday afternoon, the 10th day of testing, was the first time a Mercedes driver used Pirelli's soft tire and Nico Rosberg made it count, lapping 1.2 seconds faster than the Williams of Valtteri Bottas went on the compound 90 minutes earlier. It was the fastest time of the week and when Hamilton got his chance on the tire a day later, he lapped faster than Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen had earlier managed around the Circuit de Catalunya on the super-soft.

While Mercedes' pace on the medium and hard rubber was imposing, there were positives for some of its rivals.

Both Williams drivers topped a day, albeit those without Mercedes using the softs, turned plenty of laps and looked sharp, while Ferrari underlined its progress over 2014 with another solid test.

Red Bull focused on race pace but suffered several mechanical dramas, including an ERS problem for Daniel Ricciardo on the final day.

That, though, was nothing compared to McLaren. The team managed just 177 laps over the four days – Felipe Nasr alone turned 159 on Sunday – and if you take out Jenson Button's 101 on Friday, it averaged just 25.3 laps on the other three.

After a hydraulics issue limited it to just seven laps on the opening day, Button's Friday looked to have been a breakthrough, but it proved something of a false breakthrough, with an oil leak and sensor problem ruining the weekend. And when the car was running, it was clearly down on engine performance.

Conversely, Force India enjoyed a stunningly reliable debut with its new VJM08, which first appeared just before lunch on the second day. By Sunday night, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez had turned a combined 365 laps.

Sauber and Toro Rosso completed race simulations and also piled on the laps, as did Lotus until Pastor Maldonado crashed with a brake problem on Sunday.

TEST STATISTICS

Originally on Autosport.com