Tråd: Mercedes-Benz kan være den ene til at se i 2014 F1-mesterskabet

Test forud for 2014-F1 sæson viser løfte fra Mercedes, men det er ikke nødvendigvis en indikation af race paceDon ikke du bare elsker F1 test? Du har holdet starter, rampe op til forventningerne, og derefter. . . godt, næsten intet på grundlag af dagens aktivitet på Jerez banen i det sydlige Spanien.
Flere hold har afsløret deres nye biler, men få af dem har faktisk taget til sporet for enhver meningsfuld lappery endnu.
Hvis det er anti-klimatisk for fans - og hårdt arbejde for den nogensinde-et innovativt og informativt folkemusik, der dækker det hele live på Autosport - i det mindste giver en indikation af den kamp op ad bakke holdene står til at få deres biler klar til starten af sæsonen.
De får, der selvfølgelig - som de altid gør - men det kommer til at være specielt smertefulde med dette års nye regler.
Mercedes-teamet ser ud til at være den mest avancerede så langt, men selv har de kun oplevet en håndfuld omgange på en time. Det er ikke, fordi de har store problemer, blot at de er ved at bygge op deres viden - især omkring den nye motor og genvinding af energi systemer - meget langsomt og meget forsigtigt.
Lewis Hamilton ' s ulykke, forårsaget af en mistænkt forskærm fiasko, satte holdet lidt tilbage, selvom Briten havde sat fremme gange før.
Glem ikke, i løbet af sæsonen, kan de køre bare fem motorer, så om pålidelighed er alle vigtige.
Beskeden fra Mercedes er, at det vil blive bedre snart; at det antal omgange, hold sigt vil vokse i forbindelse med deres tillid. At Mercedes teamet kører og sine rivaler, der ikke er en - meget lille - bonus.
Som sagt, er der en sidste advarsel: i betragtning af de omstændigheder, denne uges test er usandsynligt at give nogen form for indikator af tempo komme Australien. Så du ville bedste hold ud fra at besøge en bookmaker endnu. . .

Testing ahead of the 2014 F1 season shows promise from Mercedes, but that's not necessarily indicative of race paceDon't you just love F1 testing? You have the team launches, the ramping up of expectations and then. . . well, almost nothing on the basis of today's activity at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.
Several teams have unveiled their new cars, but few have actually taken to the track for any meaningful lappery yet.
If it's anti-climatic for fans – and hard work for the ever-innovative and informative folk covering it all live at Autosport – it at least gives an indication of the uphill struggle the teams are facing to get their cars ready for the start of the season.
They'll get there of course – they always do – but it's going to be especially painful with this year's new regulations.
The Mercedes team appears to be the most advanced so far, but even they have only experienced a handful of laps at a time. That's not because they have major problems, just that they are building up their knowledge — especially around the new engine and energy recovery systems — very slowly and very carefully.
Lewis Hamilton's accident, caused by a suspected front wing failure, set the team back slightly, although the Briton had set encouraging times before that.
Don't forget, during the season they can run just five engines, so establishing levels of reliability is all-important.
The message from Mercedes is that it'll get better soon; that the number of laps teams run will grow in conjunction with their confidence. That the Mercedes team is running and its rivals are not is a – very small – bonus.
That said, there's one final caution: given the circumstances, this week's test is unlikely to yield any kind of indicator of pace come Australia. So you'd best hold off from visiting a bookie just yet. . .