01/02/2015
NEWS STORY
As testing got underway at Jerez, Mercedes continued where it left off in 2014, Nico Rosberg topping the morning timesheets.
Indeed, such is the confidence, just two minutes after the lights went green, thereby signalling the start of 2015 preparations, Rosberg was heading down the pitlane, followed by countryman Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari.
Only an hour earlier, Mercedes had officially taken the wraps off its new car, Red Bull and Williams subsequently following suit.
The dubious honour of the first red flag of the year fell to Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber, the Swede spinning his blue and yellow car and then heading slowly back to the pits.
Around an hour later, Daniel Ricciardo will have felt he was suffering a 2014 flashback when he endured what appeared to be an engine failure at T3, smoke billowing from the back of the "camouflage" liveried Red Bull.
On a day that saw Lotus apologising for its absence, insisting that it is en-route to the Spanish track, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas were the last out, the Finn not posting a time until almost four hours into the session.
Other than the Red Bull livery, no drama thus far, other than the fear along the pitlane that Mercedes still enjoys a major advantage.
Morning Times - All Times Unofficial
| Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
| Rosberg | Mercedes | 60 | 1:23.106 | 119.187 mph |
| Ricciardo | Red Bull | 22 | 1:24.641 | 1.535 |
| Ericsson | Sauber | 30 | 1:24.804 | 1.698 |
| Vettel | Ferrari | 9 | 1:25.764 | 2.658 |
| Sainz | Toro Rosso | 20 | 1:26.081 | 2.975 |
| Bottas | Williams | 4 | 1:28.479 | 5.373 |
| Alonso | McLaren | 6 | 1:40.738 | 17.632 |
Check out our Sunday gallery, here.