After the first week of testing it is often not possible to make a real ranking, but cautious signals that a team has made a jump forward or backward can often be noticed after three test days. For example, after last year's test we knew it was going to be a difficult year for Haas. This year the cards seem to have been shuffled again, thanks in part to the major changes in the regulations.
Based on times, it is often impossible to tell. It is unclear how much fuel is in the car and how hard someone is pushing. What gives more clarity is the number of laps done by a team. Reliability will also play a major role this year and moreover, with more laps you also collect more data. Based on this we can make a cautious ranking after the first test week in Barcelona.
Based on times, it is often impossible to tell. It is unclear how much fuel is in the car and how hard someone is pushing. What gives more clarity is the number of laps done by a team. Reliability will also play a major role this year and moreover, with more laps you also collect more data. Based on this we can make a cautious ranking after the first test week in Barcelona.