At this point last year, the Formula 1 field had already completed two four-day tests at Jerez and the Circuit de Catalunya and had already reconvened at the venue of the Spanish Grand prix to kick off the third and final test before the start of the F1 season.
Things have gone a little differently this time around. The 67th edition of the F1 world championship was scheduled to start on April 3 this year, prior to a calendar shuffle that saw the start of the season moved to the March 18 to 20 weekend in Melbourne, Australia.
Two weeks may not seem like much but for many teams, but it meant a mad scramble to get their cars built and ready to pass the all important FIA crash tests so that they could be tested over the eight days of testing allotted for the 2016 pre-season.
McLaren was one such team that had personnel working over what was supposed to be Christmas break in an effort to get their car working well enough to avoid a disastrous season like 2015.
The first winter test - we're not counting the Pirelli wet tyre test that ran at Paul Ricard on January 25 and 25 - ran from February 22 to 25 and with only one more scheduled from February 29 to March 1.
Which means that laptimes from pre-season testing may actually have some meaning beyond just glory runs. Although there were teams that certainly were trying to grab some attention instead of just hunkering down and racking up mileage on their machines in an effort to spot and iron out kinks.
So let's get that out of the way first. How each team did in terms of the total lap count and best times from their drivers over the first four days of winter testing around the 4.655km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
MERCEDES (Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid)
#44 Lewis Hamilton: Best time - 1m 25.409s (343 laps)
#6 Nico Rosberg: Best time - 1m 24.867s (332 laps)
The dominant team since the radical technical overhaul of F1 in 2014 got right down to business with going through their testing program and displayed the kind of reliability that had rival teams furrowing their brows. Between their two drivers, the sliver arrows racked up more mileage than any team at the opening test. An aggregate of 675 laps for a distance of 3,142.125km, which comes out to the equivalent of around 10 grand prix race distances. That's just under half the total running scheduled for this season completed over the course of a four-day test. It's a testament to the team that has shown that having the highest budget in F1 is not the key to success, but rather what you do with it. From their technical department to having the driver regarded as the most natural talent in F1, Mercedes knows how to spend its money well and it is already showing in the pre-season.
The W07 was probably never pushed to its absolute limit but over long runs it showed good pace and fuel economy. Mercedes even tried out a new front nose section designed to improve airflow under the car by channeling it towards the top of the nose. The duct is also designed to speed up the airflow, which adds a bit of downforce to the car. The device was tried out in free practice at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix but now it looks like it will be a feature of the 2016 machine.
FERRARI (Ferrari SF16-H)
#5 Sebastian Vettel: Best time - 1m 22.810s (195 laps)
#7 Kimi Raikkonen: Best time - 1m 23.477s (158 laps)
Maranello is keen to pick up the pace and take the fight to Mercedes this year. And based on lap times alone, it seems like they can achieve part of that objective in 2016. Former world champions Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen set the two fastest times of winter testing so far. Vettel's lap was, however, set on Pirelli's new 'ultra-soft' tyre compound that is expected to be featured in qualifying this year to give drivers the grip necessary to push as hard as they can over a single lap. The German's best time was, in fact, 1.871 seconds faster than Nico Rosberg's pole position time at last year's Spanish Grand Prix at the same circuit.
It is a precursor to a recent directive by the FIA towards F1's tyre supplier Pirelli to make tyres that are built for ultimate performance from next season.
Back to Ferrari though, their one lap pace straight out of the box has been impressive but signs in testing have pointed to Mercedes being able to run faster over more laps than the scarlet machines. Ferrari has stated that their testing program is still in its starting phase with things like fuel systems checks severely limiting running for Raikkonen on the third day. That could just mean that Ferrari will need to work extra hard to make up ground in the second test.
WILLIAMS RACING (Williams-Mercedes FW38)
#77 Valtteri Bottas: Best time - 1m 25.648s (214 laps)
#19 Felipe Massa: Best time - 1m 26.483s (163 laps)
It's not a complete comeback. The high standards set by Williams in the past means nothing less than consistent race wins and title challenges will qualify as a true return to form. However, the team has recovered from some truly awful seasons following the departure of BMW and finished third in the constructors' championship for the last two years. Mercedes power has helped but the team has also been boosted by Pat Symond's leadership and the driving talents of the experienced Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, who has been tipped by many to be a future world champion.
The team spent a fair amount of time going through its testing program to ensure the FW38 was running reliably before focusing a little bit on performance on the last two days while completing race simulations. All signs point to another solid year for Williams who will be hoping to prevent Red Bull from returning to the top three.
RED BULL RACING (Red Bull-Tag Heuer RB12)
#3 Daniel Ricciardo: Best time - 1m 23.525s (199 laps)
#26 Daniil Kvyat: Best time - 1m 24.293s (170 laps)
The once mighty Red Bull Racing squad have had a rough time of it in 2014 and 2015. Comprehensively beaten by Mercedes, overtaken by not only Ferrari but also Williams and drawing the ire of many in the F1 paddock for their belligerent attitude towards F1 technical regulations and engine partners Renault after being bested. The team got down to business by ignoring that and running a fairly standard testing program designed to test the major systems of the car.
Performance testing took a bit of a back seat although the team did try out the ultra-soft compound with Ricciardo getting to within 0.750 seconds of Vettel's best mark. That would indicate a similar performance deficit to last season - the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is an aero heavy track too - which should cause the team to temper their expectations. Although we are unlikely to see teams really stress on performance until the second and final test.
SAHARA FORCE INDIA (Force India-Mercedes VJM09)
#27 Nico Hulkenberg: Best time - 1m 23.110s (99 laps)
#11 Sergio Perez: Best time - 1m 23.650s (101 laps)
#34 Alfonso Celis: Best time - 1m 24.840 (133 laps)
The records will show that Hulkenberg had the second fastest time of the four-day test but while racking up not that many laps. Force India have had a history of 'glory runs' (low fuel runs on sticky tyres) in testing but the VJM09 does appear to be an evolution of last year's car. And that is something that should encourage the outfit as they came extremely close to besting Red Bull for fourth place in the constructors' championship.
The lap count was not particularly impressive but the team feel fairly confident of having gone through a fair amount of their testing program. Although it is unlikely they will have the leeway to focus just on performance by the time the second test starts.
RENAULT SPORT F1 (Renault R.S. 16)
#20 Kevin Magnussen: Best time - 1m 25.263s (264 laps)
#30 Jolyon Palmer: Best time - 1m 26.189s (79 laps)
The returning French manufacturer was always going to be up against it this year. Despite having made and planning some significant technical hirings, the team will be compromised on account of taking longer than expected to complete its takeover of the Lotus F1 team. And that definitely showed in a trouble ridden outing for Palmer. The team also suffered an engine failure although Magnussen's impressive mileage was a welcome counter for their troubles with the #30 machine.
Integration of the engine with the chassis will be a major element of the work put in by Renault as they had been building power units with Red Bull as their number one team prior to the season. Most of the feedback from the test was pertaining to that and the engineers at both Enstone and Viry Chatillon (Renault's engine development headquarters) will be hard at work to ensure they can look past some of them by the time the second test kicks off.
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO (Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR11)
#55 Max Verstappen: Best time - 1m 25.393s (231 laps)
#33 Carlos Sainz: Best time - 1m 26.239s (216 laps)
The team with the second highest mileage will find some reason to be encouraged as it hit the ground running with its new-for-2016 car that has traded Renault power for Ferrari. It's the latest-specification 2015 engine, though, and not the new power unit that will be used by the factory Ferrari squad and Sauber. The youngest driver line-up on the F1 grid took to the task of making sure their new steed ran through its testing program with the maturity one would expect from young drivers who have been polished and trained the way they have before even making their F1 debuts.
The tried and tested Ferrari power unit was instrumental in achieving that mileage although with the opening test done, it remains to be seen how much an engine that has reached the end of its development cycle will allow Toro Rosso to turn up the pace. Especially to suit the aggressive nature of last year's rookie sensation Verstappen.
SAUBER F1 (Sauber-Ferrari C34)
#9 Marcus Ericsson: Best time - 1m 25.237s (196 laps)
#12 Felipe Nasr: Best time - 1m 26.053s (236 laps)
Between their two drivers, Sauber racked up almost as much running as Toro Rosso, which will come as welcome news for the factory Ferrari team that is supplying it's latest specification power units to the Swiss team along with Haas F1. Between the factory and the two customer teams the new 059/5 power unit has run for 785 laps, which comes out to 4,962kms. However, not supplying Toro Rosso with the latest specification engine means a missed opportunity to have even more miles on the new engine as compared to Mercedes who supply three teams with their latest power units.
Back to Sauber, though, and the team ran the new engine in their 2015 car while testing a few other new parts. The Swiss outfit was one of the teams caught out by the rescheduling of the F1 calendar and that means the new C35 will be available to test only at the second and final test.
McLAREN (McLaren-Honda MP4/31)
#14 Fernando Alonso: Best time - 1m 26.082s (122 laps)
#22 Jenson Button: Best time - 1m 26.735s (135 laps)
Here's the good news about the second most successful F1 team of all-time that endured a season from hell last year despite having two world champion drivers piloting their cars. The new MP4/31 is not as unreliable as last year's machine. On the first day of testing alone, the team was able to rack up as much mileage as they managed over their first four days of testing last year. The bad news is that the car still is not particularly fast and is still not reliable enough to move drastically up the F1 pecking order.
Positive noises have come from both drivers and the team itself who state that they are in better shape at the same time last year. But with Alonso and Button's best single lap efforts putting them firmly in the bottom quarter of the aggregate time-sheets and the team only beating Manor Racing for distance covered, there is little for McLaren fans to be optimistic about. The new engine is rumored to be heavy and not a lot more powerful or unreliable than last year. However, Button was adamant that the Energry Recovery System power boost was actually being delivered this time around.
MANOR RACING (Manor-Mercedes MRT05)
#94 Pascal Wehrlein: Best time - 1m 25.925s (125 laps)
#88 Rio Haryanto: Best time - 1m 28.249s (129 laps)
Out of the new entrants to F1 in 2010 following the announcement of radical cost cutting measures, Manor Racing is the one that has survived. As Virgin, Marussia, Manor Marussia and nor Manor Racing. While those cost cutting measures never came to pass, the team did manage to attract some capable drivers who were hampered by the obstacles the fledgling team faced. But now with Mercedes power under the engine cover, the team has in its ranks one of the most promising drivers to come through the junior formulae ranks. Pascal Wehrlein has been supported by Mercedes all the way through and even helped them clinch the DTM title last year.
The 21-year-old's best time was, in fact, better than what either McLaren driver could manage. With its relatively meagre resources, the team did a decent amount of running when Wehrlein's efforts were paired with fellow F1 debutant Rio Haryanto's lap count. The 23-year-old Indonesian did, however, post the slowest time throughout the test. It was nearly two seconds off the next fastest time and over five seconds off Vettel's benchmark. Haryanto does bring some money to the team and the support he receives in his 255.4 million strong home nation is of interest to F1's commercial bosses who see a potentially large market to tap into.
HAAS F1 (Haas-Ferrari VF-16)
#21 Esteban Gutierrez: Best time - 1m 25.524s (168 laps)
#8 Romain Grosjean: Best time - 1m 25.874s (113 laps)
The newest entrant to the F1 field can be commended for producing one of the nicest looking cars on the grid. And the old racing adage goes that if it looks fast, it probably goes fast too. Although that would have to be put into the context of F1 greenhorns - an American term for an American team - Haas F1.
And it's not like the team didn't have issues. A broken front wing while at speed means having to look into the construction of the nose section of the car. But that should be doable for a team that looks to be spending money in the right way in its effort to become a successful F1 team based outside of Europe (although they have a facility in the UK to make it easier to transport the cars to European races).
With few problems outside of the wing failure and some decent lap times, Haas F1 has reason to go into the second test expecting further validation of its work.
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