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Pre-season testing in numbers - who went fastest, and furthest

On the basis of 12 days of pre-season testing, it is reigning champions Mercedes who enter the season on a high, having set the quickest times and completed the most laps. But who came closest to matching the Silver Arrows - and who might be struggling in Melbourne?

We crunch the numbers for both the final test and the pre-season as a whole in order to shed some light on what the competitive order might look like when the season gets underway in less than two weeks' time...

This week's unofficial aggregate test times from Barcelona:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 22.792s, 254 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 23.022s, 124 laps
3. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 23.063s, 179 laps
4. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1m 23.262, 205 laps
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 23.276s, 216 laps
6. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1m 23.469s, 272 laps
7. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1m 24.023s, 300 laps
8. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1m 24.191s, 218 laps
9. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1m 24.200s, 191 laps
10. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1m 24.276s, 245 laps
11. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 24.527s, 224 laps
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 24.638s, 200 laps
13. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1m 24.939s, 235 laps
14. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1m 25.113s, 130 laps
15. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 25.225s, 39 laps
16. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 25.327s, 138 laps
17. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1m 25.947s, 159 laps
18. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 26.705s, 176 laps

Total distance run - by team: 
1. Sauber, 545 laps - 2,536 km
2. Ferrari, 488 laps - 2,271 km
3. Toro Rosso, 442 laps - 2,057 km
4. Williams, 384 laps - 1,787 km
5. Mercedes, 378 laps - 1,759 km
6. Lotus, 367 laps - 1,708 km
7. Force India, 365 laps - 1,699 km
8. Red Bull, 359 laps - 1,671 km
9. McLaren, 177 laps - 823 km

Total distance run - by power unit:
1. Mercedes, 1,494 laps - 6954 km
2. Ferrari, 1,033 laps - 4808 km
3. Renault, 801 laps - 3,728 km
4. Honda, 177 laps - 823 km

Longest stints - by tyre compound:
Supersoft compound - 5 laps (Marcus Ericsson; Sergio Perez; Felipe Nasr; Nico Hulkenberg)
Soft compound - 15 laps (Felipe Massa; Nico Rosberg)
Medium compound - 26 laps (Marcus Ericsson)
Prototype medium compound* - 28 laps (Kimi Raikkonen)
Hard compound - 27 laps (Felipe Nasr)
Intermediate compound - 6 laps (Lewis Hamilton; Daniil Kvyat)

*Being assessed by Pirelli for development purposes

Third test comparison - Year on Year*
2014 (Bahrain) - 3,308 laps (17,901 km) completed in four days
2015 (Barcelona) - 3,505 laps (16,313 km) completed in four days
That's a 2.7 percent decrease

2014 fastest lap in qualifying at Barcelona - 1m 25.232s (Lewis Hamilton)
2015 fastest lap in testing at Barcelona - 1m 22.792s (Nico Rosberg)
That's 2.9 percent increase

*Bahrain hosted the third pre-season test in 2014

Overall mileage across the 12 days of pre-season testing - by driver:
1. Nico Rosberg, 759 laps - 3,463 km
2. Felipe Nasr, 649 laps - 2,976 km
3. Max Verstappen, 617 laps - 2,834 km
4. Sebastian Vettel, 602 laps - 2,768 km
5. Marcus Ericsson, 596 laps - 2,732 km
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, 589 laps - 2,700 km
7. Kimi Raikkonen, 580 laps - 2,655 km
8. Lewis Hamilton, 533 laps - 2,434 km
9. Felipe Massa, 492 laps - 2,258 km
10. Valtteri Bottas, 491 laps - 2,255 km
11. Daniel Ricciardo, 486 laps - 2,243 km
12. Pastor Maldonado, 486 laps - 2,231 km
13. Daniil Kvyat, 457 laps - 2,109 km
14. Romain Grosjean, 355 laps - 1,640 km
15. Sergio Perez, 285 laps - 1,327 km
16. Nico Hulkenberg, 271 laps - 1,262 km
17. Jenson Button, 224 laps - 1,033 km
18. Pascal Wehrlein, 161 laps - 749 km
19. Fernando Alonso, 117 laps - 536 km
20. Susie Wolff, 86 laps - 400 km
21. Jolyon Palmer, 77 laps - 358 km
22. Kevin Magnussen, 39 laps - 182 km

Overall mileage across the 12 days of pre-season testing - by team:
1. Mercedes, 1,340 laps - 6,121 km
2. Sauber, 1,245 laps - 5,709 km
3. Toro Rosso, 1,206 laps - 5,534 km
4. Ferrari, 1,182 laps - 5,423 km
5. Williams, 1,069 laps - 4,913 km
6. Red Bull, 943 laps - 4,352 km
7. Lotus, 918 laps - 4,230 km
8. Force India, 669 laps - 3,114 km
9. McLaren, 380 laps - 1,751 km

Overall mileage across the 12 days of pre-season testing - by power unit:
1. Mercedes, 3,996 laps - 18,378 km
2. Ferrari, 2,427 laps - 11,132 km
3. Renault, 2,149 laps - 9,886 km
4. Honda, 380 laps - 1,751 km

(source: f1.com)

Bottas puts Williams on top on final day of pre-season testing

Valtteri Bottas signed off the 2015 pre-season in style by going fastest for Williams on the final day of testing at Barcelona on Sunday.

The Finn hit the front early and was never deposed, as a qualifying simulation on Pirelli's supersoft tyre yielded a 1m 23.063s - which left him almost half a second clear of the chasing pack.

"It was a really good day and a great way to finish the test," Bottas said. "One of the main points we have learnt is that the FW37 is very reliable. The car we are taking to Melbourne is very competitive and should make for an interesting start to the season."

Sebastian Vettel was second fastest for Ferrari, while Sauber's Felipe Nasr was the last man to get within one second of Bottas's benchmark in third. Like Bottas, Vettel and Nasr set their best times in morning runs on the supersoft.

Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen improved several times in the afternoon, eventually slotting into fourth ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian also made gains in the afternoon, having missed much of the morning with an ERS problem.

McLaren's day was similarly disrupted by technical gremlins. Jenson Button was only able to get out for two untimed laps in the morning, as a sensor problem meant the Honda power unit had to be removed. The afternoon proved slightly more productive as Button slotted into eighth, although he managed just 30 laps in total. Nasr, by comparison, was the day's busiest driver with 159 laps.

"Looking back at the last four weeks, our winter test programme has been difficult," racing director Eric Boullier admitted. "The lack of mileage means we won't be as ready as we'd have liked, but we can take away the positive that all the running and data gathering we've done have confirmed that we're achieving the targets we set ourselves. 

"Even if it's likely to be a difficult start to the season, we know we can develop hard and fast, and that we'll surely unlock the huge potential that lies within the McLaren-Honda MP4-30."

Sergio Perez also broke past 100 laps in what was his first day in the delayed Force India VJM08, with the Mexican's best time - a 1m 25.113s - just enough to shade Nico Rosberg's Mercedes for sixth.

Rosberg nevertheless had the honour of setting the outright best time of the test, after recording a blistering 1m 22.792s on day two.

Lotus's Pastor Maldonado rounded out the timesheet in ninth, and also triggered the red flags when he hit the barriers at Turn 4. Lotus subsequently said a "systems issue compromised Maldonado's braking".

"It was a shame to end the day early, but that was the only issue we've had like this during testing," Maldonado explained. "I was able to brake and slow, just not as much as the maximum otherwise possible. The car was not too badly damaged and I am fine, so we can look to the positive that we have a lot of information to take the car in the right direction."

Verstappen and Ricciardo also caused stoppages when they came to a halt on circuit. 

Teams now have just under two weeks for final preparations ahead of the season-opening 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix. Opening practice commences at 1230 local time on Friday, March 13.


Unofficial Sunday testing times from Barcelona:
1. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 23.063s, 89 laps
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1m 23.469s, 129 laps
3. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1m 24.023s, 159 laps
4. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 24.527s, 85 laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 24.638s, 72 laps
6. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1m 25.113s, 130 laps
7. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 25.186s, 148 laps
8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 25.327s, 30 laps
9. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 28.272s, 36 laps

(source: f1.com)

Hamilton doubles up for Mercedes in Spain

For the second day running it was a Mercedes atop the timesheet on Saturday, as the Formula One teams carried out their penultimate day of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Felipe Massa set the morning pace for Williams on Pirelli’s supersoft tyre, but it was Lewis Hamilton who clocked the ultimate benchmark - a 1m 23.022s, recorded on soft rubber - a quarter of a second up on the Brazilian.

Kimi Raikkonen all but matched Massa’s time to finish third, also on a qualifying-type supersoft run in the Ferrari, while Carlos Sainz put Toro Rosso fourth, albeit over a second down on Hamilton’s marker.

In a productive day’s running, only two drivers failed to reach the 100 lap mark - Hamilton on 76, and Kevin Magnussen, who managed 39 on his first outing in the 2015 McLaren. Busiest man of the day was Nico Hulkenberg, who put another 158 laps on the new Force India following its Friday debut.

The day’s two red-flag stoppages both came in the final hour, with first Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber coming to a halt at Turn 3 and then Sainz’s Toro Rosso stopping at the same corner.


Unofficial Saturday testing times from Barcelona:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 23.022s, 76 laps
2. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1m 23.262s, 102 laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 23.276s, 136 laps
4. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1m 24.191s, 132 laps
5. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1m 24.200s, 116 laps
6. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1m 24.477s, 123 laps
7. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1m 24.939s, 158 laps
8. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 25.225s, 39 laps
9. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 25.742s, 128 laps

(source: f1.com)

Rosberg and Mercedes fire ominous warning on day two

Mercedes finally hit the front in 2015 pre-season testing on Friday, as Nico Rosberg set an imperious new benchmark on day two in Barcelona.

Elsewhere there was encouragement for McLaren, as Jenson Button completed more than 100 laps on the team's most successful day to date, and Force India, who rolled out their new car for the first time and clocked up close to 80 laps across the afternoon.

But it was Mercedes who stole the show. Despite being the early favourites given their dominance in 2014, the Silver Arrows had not troubled the top of the timesheets over the opening nine days of testing. That changed, however, as the team bolted on Pirelli's soft compound for the first time this year, allowing Rosberg to clock a blistering 1m 22.792s on his first run.

The German came close to bettering that on subsequent runs, but it was ultimately good enough to keep him comfortably top, more than a second clear of the field - and more than 2.5s faster than Lewis Hamilton's 2014 pole time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Williams locked out second in Mercedes' wake courtesy of Valtteri Bottas, who took over from day-one pacesetter Felipe Massa, with Sauber's Felipe Nasr fractions of a second down the road in third.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was fourth, albeit 2.5s off Rosberg's pace, while Button earned McLaren fifth place, a welcome boost to add to their lap tally. 

Lotus's Pastor Maldonado shaded Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen and Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat for eighth, with Nico Hulkenberg rounding out the day's runners in ninth for Force India.

Verstappen was one of the day's busiest men with 139 laps, although his running was cut slightly short by an electrical problem on the STR10.

"Another good day as we did a lot of laps," Verstappen said. "From my perspective, the most important part was this afternoon's race distance, when the pace looked very promising. It was my first time driving the car with the latest updates and they seemed to be working very well and I felt very comfortable with it."

Button also hit issues late on when he stopped out on track between Turns 7 and 8, bringing out the red flags for only the second time of the day. Kvyat had prompted the first stoppage when he was instructed to halt out on track as a precaution after Red Bull discovered a hydraulic sensor issue.


Unofficial Friday testing times from Barcelona:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 22.792s, 106 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 23.995s, 90 laps
3. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1m 24.071s, 141 laps
4. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1m 25.339s, 143 laps
5. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 25.590s, 101 laps
6. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 26.705s, 140 laps
7. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 26.766s, 139 laps
8. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1m 26.965s, 84 laps
9. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1m 28.412s, 77 laps

(source: f1.com)

Massa fastest for Williams as McLaren toil on day one

Felipe Massa laid down an impressive marker for Williams on the opening day of the final pre-season test of 2015 in Spain, as McLaren were once again restricted by technical problems.

Massa hit the front early on Thursday afternoon, bolting on Pirelli's soft-compound tyre and scything down to a 1m 23.500s - the fastest time seen so far this year in Barcelona, and enough to leave him almost a second clear of the field at the chequered flag.

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson, the day's busiest man with 122 laps, moved into second following late runs on the supersoft tyre, but his best was still 0.776s adrift of Massa.

Ericsson's surge bumped the Mercedes of reigning champion Lewis Hamilton to third. The Briton had set the morning pace courtesy of an early run on medium tyres, but was then restricted by a failure of the MGU-K which curtailed his afternoon running.

McLaren fared even worse, as their troubled pre-season continued with the discovery of a hydraulic leak that effectively ended Jenson Button's running after just seven laps. The Briton languished in eighth in the timesheet, almost eight seconds off Massa's pace.

"After just seven laps, Jenson noted a vibration and brought the car back to the pits, where we discovered a hydraulic leak that required a full power-unit change," McLaren said. "The time required to complete the change unfortunately meant that our running for the day was over before lunchtime."

Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat was fourth fastest, narrowly ahead of Lotus's Romain Grosjean - who set the outright pace in the previous test at Barcelona - and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Carlos Sainz Junior was seventh for Toro Rosso, as the team introduced radical revisions, including a new front nose, to the STR10.

The Spaniard caused the second of two red flags when he stopped at Turn 10 early in the afternoon session, although Toro Rosso were able to get him back out for the final half hour of the day. Kvyat had triggered the first red flags when he stopped in the pit lane just a few minutes after the session commenced.

Testing continues on Friday, when Force India are aiming to run their new VJM08 for the first time. Nico Hulkenberg is primed for driving duties, with the team hopeful of clocking up the first miles in their 2015 machine in the afternoon. 


Unofficial Thursday testing times from Barcelona:
1. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1m 23.500s, 103 laps
2. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1m 24.276s, 122 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 24.881s, 48 laps
4. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1m 25.947s, 75 laps
5. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1m 26.177s, 75 laps
6. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 26.327s, 80 laps
7. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1m 26.962s, 86 laps
8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 31.479s, 7 laps

(source: f1.com)

More rambling before the last test venue in Barcelona

Tomorrow's the last tests in Barcelona before the season starts at Melbourne in two weeks. I have a few things to say so thought some of you might be interested.

So before the previous tests I said that Ferrari is going to continue being fast and Lotus is going to surprise us. This happened so I was not surprised but maybe some of you were.

It almost looks like the other teams have reached Mercedes and that they will not be as dominant this year. I am very happy because of that! Mercedes is still strong though and don't forget that.

Ferrari looks like they are now probably better than Red Bull, and Lotus might even challenge them (Red Bull) and maybe Williams too.

Williams on the other hand have said that they are going to be stronger than last year but why haven't we seen anything in testing. Are they hiding their speed or what's going on? I really hope they are doing well because they became my favorite team last year. Let's see if I will cheer for them this year as well. My favorites sometimes change even during races. I just love the sport I guess...

McLaren-Honda is not looking that good at the moment but I am sure they will get much better during the season. I am counting on it!

I haven't compared all of the 2015 teammates yet but I will do that during the two weeks before the first race. If you haven't read the ones that I have already written then please do. You can find them by making a search up to the left.

Also remember that we are starting our PREDICTORS LEAGUE right away from Melbourne this year so remember to send me your predictions! TOP3 of the race, pole position and who sets the fastest lap of the race.

Tomorrow I will post the results from Barcelona after the tests are over and if you wanna know what's going on during the day then I'll try to keep you posted on the F1 4 LIFE Facebook page.

That's it for today ;)