Breaking news
Formula 1 Barcelona February testing II
Vettel surprised by extent of Mercedes upgrades
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel says he was "a bit surprised" to see Mercedes bring so many upgrades to the second Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona.
Scott Mitchell
Edited: Feb 27, 2019, 8:16 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Mercedes admitted it was behind Ferrari after the first four days of testing but its W10 rolled out on Tuesday this week with a series of major aerodynamic updates.
The lead times required to produce a new aero package suggest Mercedes was always planning to produce a much more advanced concept for test two.
Asked if he had kept an eye on the Mercedes update, Vettel said: "Yes. You definitely look at it. That interests me too.
"I was a bit surprised that the car had so many innovations, but everyone chooses their own way.
"Of course, it's interesting what's happening here [in Barcelona], but it's only in Melbourne that we really get going."
Mercedes has won the last five drivers' and constructors' titles, but its performance in the first week of testing hinted it had tripped up over the new-for-2019 aero rules.
It lost time evaluating its new package because of an engine change, and has still not shown its true potential with two days left of testing.
Read Also:
Vettel said drivers would not be sandbagging in terms of their own performance but admitted three key factors would be disguising the true picture.
He said: "The questions you always have when you watch the others are: How heavy were they on the road? How much power did they use? How much was the battery discharged during the lap?
"These are the three factors that are unknown. We know the tyres, so that's not such a big question mark."
Vettel warned that the nature of pre-season testing meant he had not focused too much on what the pecking order might be.
"I haven't analysed the times exactly yet," he said. We have a few people with us who are better at that than I am.
"Red Bull definitely looks very strong and consistent, and reliable so far.
"There are a few surprises. Alfa [Romeo] looks very good. At Mercedes it's hard to say exactly what's happening from our point of view at the moment.
"Some runs look very good, others less so. But that's all part of testing."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sainz quickest as crash curtails Ferrari's day
Next article Sainz: Ferrari/Red Bull can go "much faster" than my benchmark
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel gives update on F1 future as he opens up on life after retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Sebastian Vettel gives update on F1 future as he opens up on life after retirement
Sebastian Vettel: F1 must combine “things we love” with sustainable future
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel: F1 must combine “things we love” with sustainable future
More from
Ferrari
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
Latest news
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 48 min
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
2 h
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 2 h
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
2 h
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe