F1: The pre-season of Formula 1: Bottas, the fastest of the tests, ends

This Friday concludes the preseason of the Formula 1, after two weeks of work in the Circuit Barcelona-Catalua, where one year more Mercedes leaves for the first race of the World Cup, the GP of Australia, with the duties done and with the favorite Vitola , this course, to win the seventh title of the world followed.

After six days of rehearsals, spread over two weeks, Mercedes finishes in shape and Ferrari revealing that what has been seen in Barcelona is what the Italian squire will offer in Melburne on March 15, since it does not hide anything, as this guarantee Friday in Montmel the team leader, Mattia Binotto.

If Ferrari is not going to battle Mercedes, you can only expect the performances of the Dutch Max Verstappen at Red Bull (this Friday ended as the second fastest after Bottas) can put some trouble on the German blidos, to prevent the team from Toto Wolff re-stroll through the 21 scheduled races.

In fact, the calendar has been altered by the suspension of the GP of China, and this Friday the head of F1 Chase CareyHe was in Barcelona to talk with the teams to determine what measures can be taken in view of the uncertainty generated in part of the world by the transmission of the coronavirus. Without going any further, this Friday the Swiss government canceled the 90th edition of the Geneva car show, in line with what happened a few weeks ago in Barcelona when the organizers also suspended the Mobile World.

Australia, Vietnam and Bahrain remain

Pending an official pronouncement, Melburne's career remains on the calendar, as is that of Vietnam and Bahrain, before F1 returns to Europe. This Friday Casey maintained a minimum contact in the paddock with the media, to those who transfer a position not as firm as the one held Thursday in a video conference with the United States, and let it be seen that everything is at the expense of how the situation evolves.

On the sports plane, the sixth and last session ended this Friday again with the Mercedes as the fastest car, which in the afternoon session was that of the Finlands Valtteri Bottas, who left the chrono in a 1: 16.196, reducing the signed in the morning session by the Australian Renault by 89 cents Daniel Ricciardo (1: 16,276).

Bottas leaves Barcelona having been the fastest pilot of the preseason, with a schedule on Friday of last week that he left at 1: 15,732, which only the tester pilot of Alfa Romeo, the experienced Polish, has approached these days Robert Kbica (1: 15,942).

Only one day Ferrari took center stage, when on Thursday Sebastian Vettel He ended up being the fastest of the day (1: 16,841), with a higher time than the best reached by his partner Charles Leclerc (1: 16,360), the fourth fastest this Friday.

The head of Ferrari, Mattia Binotto, had no doubt this Friday to show his letters publicly, saying: “I already said that I cannot be optimistic, as I was last year. I can already confirm: we are not the car anymore fast. Our direct rivals are very fast. “

Another of the teams that should encourage the races is Red Bull, which with its second year riding Honda has Max Verstappen at its maximum exponent. This Friday, the Netherlands was the second fastest and completed a better lap at 1: 16,269, 73 thousandths of Bottas. The Austrian team is called to be the alternative to Ferrari, if the Italian squad is disengaged from the fight to stop Mercedes.

Concern at McLaren

In the intermediate zone there are also many doubts, due to the performance that some cars have been offering, such as the Racing Point and AlphaTauri, with times in these six days that have raised concerns in McLaren, British squire of which the Spanish Carlos Sainz He said Friday that he may have to review expectations for the season.

Sainz concluded on Friday the day with 163 laps, and a better time of 1: 16,820, below his new opponents, who from Australia will want to relegate McLaren from the fourth position reached last year.

“After the Racing Point performances, we have to check our expectations. This Racing Point is so similar to the Mercedes of 2019, and when we finished the season in Abu Dhabi, we were 1.5 of the Mercedes. And this preseason we have not improved that 1.5”, said the Spanish pilot, who warned that an objective not to put down is to enter Saturdays in each classification in Q3.