22/02/2020
NEWS STORY
The first week of testing is traditionally regarded as the FP1 and FP2 in terms of preparations for the season opener, as teams focus on reliability as opposed to pace.
The opening week is when the teams gather the data to help prepare for the all-important second week and then Melbourne.
While Friday's running was interrupted by a number of red flag stoppages, which proved especially frustrating for those teams carrying out race simulations, we still saw a number of updates introduced.
Though the pace of the Mercedes W11 - not to mention its controversial dual axis steering system - grabbed the headlines, in those first few days of testing it was the consistency and reliability of their cars that the teams were really looking for.
Needless to say, Mercedes was the pace-setter here also, with the German team completing the most laps (494), ahead of Red Bull (471) and Alfa Romeo (424).
With just 354 laps under its belt, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has good reason not to be as optimistic as last year, while Haas' 316 are sure to have had Guenther Steiner tossing more coins into the swear box.
While Williams' 324 laps might appear disappointing, let's not forget that in the entirety of pre-season testing last year the Grove outfit completed 567 laps.
Unsurprisingly, Mercedes also led the way in terms of engine mileage, the three outfits powered by power units bearing the Three Pointed Star completing 1,189 laps. This compares with Ferrari's 1,094, Honda's 855 and Renault's 803.
Note that though the Red Bull pair have yet to try the softer tyre compounds the Austrian team is very much in the mix.
Indeed, though Hamilton tops the mileage sheet with 273 laps, Max Verstappen is next up with 254, while Carlos Sainz, driving the dark horse that is the McLaren, is on 237.
On the other hand, Kevin Magnussen has just 110 laps under his belt.
We saw on Saturday that as the wick was turned up, some teams ran into trouble. With the pressure ramping up ever higher next week, following the reliability witnessed earlier this week, we can surely expect more teams to struggle.
Though it remains far too early to be making any serious calls, Mercedes still clearly rules, while Racing Point and McLaren appear to have the edge in the midfield.
Engine Manufacturer Test Mileage
| Engine Manufacturer | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Mercedes | 1189 | 3439.2 | 5534.7 |
| Ferrari | 1094 | 3164.4 | 5092.5 |
| Honda | 855 | 2473.1 | 3979.9 |
| Renault | 803 | 2322.7 | 3737.9 |
Team Test Mileage
| Team | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Mercedes | 494 | 1428.9 | 2299.5 |
| Red Bull | 471 | 1362.4 | 2192.5 |
| Alfa Romeo | 424 | 1226.4 | 1973.7 |
| McLaren | 423 | 1223.5 | 1969.0 |
| AlphaTauri | 384 | 1110.7 | 1787.5 |
| Renault | 380 | 1099.2 | 1768.9 |
| Racing Point | 371 | 1073.1 | 1727.0 |
| Ferrari | 354 | 1023.9 | 1647.8 |
| Williams | 324 | 937.2 | 1508.2 |
| Haas | 316 | 914.0 | 1470.9 |
Driver Test Mileage
| Driver | Team | Laps | Miles | Kms |
| Hamilton | Mercedes | 273 | 789.7 | 1270.8 |
| Verstappen | Red Bull | 254 | 734.7 | 1182.3 |
| Sainz | McLaren | 237 | 685.5 | 1103.2 |
| Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 231 | 668.2 | 1075.3 |
| Bottas | Mercedes | 221 | 639.2 | 1028.7 |
| Albon | Red Bull | 217 | 627.7 | 1010.1 |
| Gasly | AlphaTauri | 206 | 595.9 | 958.9 |
| Grosjean | Haas | 206 | 595.9 | 958.9 |
| Perez | Racing Point | 203 | 587.2 | 944.9 |
| Ocon | Renault | 190 | 549.6 | 884.4 |
| Ricciardo | Renault | 190 | 549.6 | 884.4 |
| Russell | Williams | 189 | 546.7 | 879.8 |
| Norris | McLaren | 186 | 538.0 | 865.8 |
| Leclerc | Ferrari | 181 | 523.5 | 842.5 |
| Kvyat | AlphaTauri | 178 | 514.9 | 828.6 |
| Vettel | Ferrari | 173 | 500.4 | 805.3 |
| Stroll | Racing Point | 168 | 485.9 | 782.0 |
| Latifi | Williams | 135 | 390.5 | 628.4 |
| Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 134 | 387.6 | 623.8 |
| Magnussen | Haas | 110 | 318.2 | 512.0 |
| Kubica | Alfa Romeo | 59 | 170.7 | 274.6 |