Mercedes wins test battle

With the best time and a find that surprised the competition, Mercedes, six-time defender of the drivers 'and constructors' titles, came out without much surprise favorite of the winter tests of Formula 1, despite the laps played by its engine. "On the whole, these tests were good but not perfect," admitted six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who can match the world record seven crowns record, after the sixth and final day on Friday. 'German Michael Schumacher. "We have had a lot of problems that we are trying to solve," he admits, while the German team and its client Williams have repeatedly changed their powertrain following failures. "We will see how long it will take to resolve them, but it's better to discover these things during the tests," concludes the Briton. Especially knowing the reaction capacity of his team, which managed last year to start the season with a car completely redesigned after disappointing tests.

"Mercedes is always the one to press the competition, not the other way around"

These few disappointments did not, in any case, prevent Mercedes from completing the most laps (903), ahead of Ferrari (844) and McLaren (802). Above all, on the psychological level, the Silver Arrows hit hard by introducing a revolutionary system, the DAS (dual axis steering), which allows the pilot to directly modify the front wheel spacing according to his needs. from his car by pulling or pushing his steering wheel. Impossible for the moment to measure the benefits, but as noted by the Australian Renault Daniel Ricciardo, after six years of domination without sharing, "it is still Mercedes who presses the competition and not vice versa". Info or intox ? The other two advanced teams also present the German team as a favorite. "Their form is good and it is better to have concerns during the tests than in the race," says Christian Horner, the boss of Red Bull, himself "generally quite satisfied" with his tests.

Fastest lap by each team after 6 days of # F1Testing ... pic.twitter.com/imqtrbmDwd

At Ferrari - the only team not to have beaten their 2019 times on the same circuit -, the tone is humble. In contrast to the tests dominated last year before a sudden return to reality at the first Grand Prix in Melbourne. "We are not hiding," claims the main team Mattia Binotto. “We are not yet fast enough to hope to win in Australia (March 15, editor's note). But the season is long: we will have the opportunity to improve and be ready to win, ”he said without advancing a date. In addition, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced Friday an agreement with Ferrari following "a thorough technical investigation" on the operation of its powertrains. The latter comes when several Scuderia rivals expressed doubts last year about the legality of Italian engines. "The details of this agreement will remain between the parties," it said in a statement. We still learn that "the FIA ​​and Scuderia Ferrari have made a number of technical commitments that will improve the surveillance of all powertrains in Formula 1".

Promising Racing Point

What if, in addition, a surprise guest jostled the Scuderia? Very close to the triumphant Mercedes of 2019, the Racing Point is promising, placing just behind the Renault in terms of time and fourth in number of laps completed. Technical director Andrew Green, who claims to have been inspired by the aerodynamic choices of his engine manufacturer last year, is not ready to open the bets but does not hide being "very satisfied with where we are". Apart from the jump achieved by the roses, seventh in 2019 after having passed very close to bankruptcy in 2018, the balance of forces hardly seems to have changed behind the three top teams. Renault and McLaren seem a little closer to each other, ahead of AlphaTauri (ex-Toro Rosso), Alfa Romeo and Haas, who completed the fewest laps (649). Leaving very far last February, Williams, finally, continues to progress. The first Grand Prix in Australia will confirm or reverse these trends, if the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic allows it.

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