The first Formula 1 pre-season test is done and dusted, which means we’ve just three more days of running before the teams head out to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix in mid-March.
The first three-day test saw bullet-proof reliability across the opening two days, though Friday was a little more troubling for some with four red flags on the final day.
We’ve collated all the available data from the first test to give a slightly clearer picture of where everyone stands.
First of all is the combined lap times over the three days. The weather was largely the same across all three days, so that doesn’t play much of a factor in the times. Of course fuel levels are unknown, as are test programmes, but we can gather from the below that Mercedes look to comfortably be quickest with Bottas’ lap time almost challenging the lap record of 1:15.406 – a time he set himself last year at the Spanish GP.
Combined Times from Test 1
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V. Bottas | Mercedes | 1:15.732 | C5 | Friday |
| 2 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:16.516 | C5 | Friday |
| 3 | K. Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1:17.091 | C5 | Thursday |
| 4 | E. Ocon | Renault | 1:17.102 | C4 | Friday |
| 5 | L. Stroll | Racing Point | 1:17.338 | C4 | Friday |
| 6 | S. Perez | Racing Point | 1:17.347 | C3 | Thursday |
| 7 | D. Kvyat | AlphaTauri | 1:17.427 | C4 | Friday |
| 8 | A. Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1:17.469 | C5 | Friday |
| 9 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:17.516 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 10 | D. Ricciardo | Renault | 1:17.574 | C4 | Friday |
| 11 | P. Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:17.783 | C4 | Friday |
| 12 | C. Sainz | McLaren | 1:17.842 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 13 | A. Albon | Red Bull | 1:17.912 | C2 | Thursday |
| 14 | S. Vettel | Ferrari | 1:18.154 | C4 | Thursday |
| 15 | G. Russell | Williams | 1:18.168 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 16 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.289 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 17 | R. Grosjean | Haas | 1:18.380 | C3 | Friday |
| 18 | N. Latifi | Williams | 1:18.382 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 19 | R. Kubica | Alfa Romeo | 1:18.386 | C3 | Wednesday |
| 20 | L. Norris | McLaren | 1:18.454 | C3 | Friday |
| 21 | K. Magnussen | Haas | 1:18.466 | C3 | Wednesday |
In terms of reliability, Mercedes once again came out on top with a mammoth 494 laps, or 2,272km, which is an average of 164 laps each day. Every team managed an average of more than 100 laps a day, which is impressive.
Ferrari might be somewhat disappointed with both their lap times and lap count, and team boss Mattia Binotto has admitted as much, predicting they’re adrift of Mercedes and Red Bull.
Total Lap Count (Team)
Mercedes rules the roost again when it comes to engine mileage with 1189 laps completed between Mercedes, Racing Point and Williams (an average of 396 per team). Ferrari is second with itself, Haas and Alfa Romeo (average of 364 laps), Honda comes in third with Red Bull and AlphaTauri (an average of 426 per team, which actually puts it out front) and Renault is last on 803 laps (an average of 401 between it and McLaren).
Total Lap Count (Engine)
Though the old saying of ‘test times mean nothing’ springs to mind, one might be comfortable predicting a Mercedes win in Melbourne in a little over three weeks time. Red Bull look to be there or thereabouts whilst Binotto’s worries seem to be true, unless of course they’re playing it low-key to avoid the hype that surrounded the team in 2019, only for it to prove false.
