McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he was especially impressed by Mercedes’ performance in the first pre-season test last week.
The W17 covered two-and-a-half grand prix distances per day across its three days of running at the Circuit de Catalunya. Although rivals Ferrari and Red Bull also ran reliably during the test, Stella was particularly struck by Mercedes’ performance.
“It is obviously very difficult to give an objective assessment, as we do not know the other teams’ work programmes, fuel levels or work schedules,” he said. “In addition, the environmental conditions were quite different from what we normally experience on race weekends.
“That said, it is clear that there are at least three competitors – Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull – who have all got off to a good start. In particular, the Brackley team has definitely raised the bar, and we will have to work hard to do the same.”
McLaren hoped to cover more laps with their new carThe sweeping changes to F1’s regulations this year, especially the new power unit rules, prompted some concerns that one team might produce a much more competitive car than their rivals. But Stella said the first test gave him optimism this is not the case.
“The fact that the three teams I mentioned are equipped with three different power units is a first indication that there may not be extremely marked differences in terms of absolute performance, at least as far as some of the PU suppliers are concerned,” he said.
Stella admitted McLaren hoped to cover more laps with their MCL40, which made its debut on the third day of the five-day test.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free
“It was a very useful three days,” said Stella. “We were able to collect a large amount of data and begin to understand how the new generation of single-seaters behave in reality on track and no longer solely on simulators.
“Of course, we would have liked to have done more laps, but even the difficulties that slowed us down on the first two days were important in helping us to better understand how to operate the car.
“We were well aware that by pushing the design phase to the limit, we would arrive at this shakedown very tight in terms of preparation, but thanks to the work done on the track and at Woking, we managed to make up almost all the lost time: it was a bit like building an aeroplane while in flight, but we did it.”
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Formula 1
Browse all Formula 1 articles