Ferrari lead the field, Red Bull-Honda are showing promise and the midfield scrap looks set to be even more hotly contested
That Ferrari have a good, potentially great, car this year was clear by the end of the first day of testing when Sebastian Vettel was positively purring at how the SF90 had performed. By the end of day eight, his optimism had been entirely justified and they must be considered favourites going into the first race in Melbourne on 17 March. Definitive judgments from testing are dangerous but the Scuderia’s form is impossible to ignore. Vettel set the fastest lap, with a time of 1min 16.221sec. They completed 997 laps in total, second only to Mercedes, while their engines look rock solid, with 2,790 laps (8,069 miles) from across the grid – the highest of any power unit. The car looks supremely well balanced, has great grip, is planted out of the corners and handles with ease. Crucially, where it really counts in comparable race simulations – where Mercedes had the edge this time last year – Ferrari were quicker. They are playing it down of course, but the spring in Vettel’s step is justified.
Related: McLaren have set the stage for Fernando Alonso’s F1 encore | Giles Richards
Related: Mercedes enjoy constructive winter but Williams sleep through alarm | Richard Williams
Continue reading...